Stay Alive
by busywriting
Summary: Chris and his classmates are going on a field trip, unfortunately a killer's on the loose, now they have to struggle to stay alive.
1. Chapter 1

FRIDAY MORNING

"That's right this man is very dangerous and unstable. We ask all viewers to call the police with any information of his whereabouts to 1-800-PLD-STOP immediately." The red-haired female newscast lady says.

"And remember that this man is wanted in three countries with charges murder, treason and theft. He is regarded as extremely violent and was last seen in the Greensboro and Winston-Salem area. We advice all residents in the Triad to watch out for this man."

The good-natured anchor says.

１７－year-old Chris Halliwel flips the channel to MTV and watches the remaining of the top twenty countdown. He mocks the newscasters.

"Somebody's been messing with my favorites list." He says slightly annoyed by the inconvenience, he packs his book bag and walks out the room leaving the TV -as always- on.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON

Brooke Davis hands out permission slips to the small 20-person after school outdoors club. Some kids take the green sheet of recycled paper and read it eagerly and some diminish it to a wrinkled ball just as soon as it touches their palm.

"Remember my buckaroos, you've got to have these signed by next Wednesday at latest if you want to go to Hightrails with the group." Mr. Whitaker announces in a fake cowboy accent.

An overweight nervous-looking kid raises his hand and asks, "Would it be a problem if I go sir? I mean with my asthma and all."

Mr. Whitaker shakes his head "Not at all Sebastian, just make sure you bring your medication with at least two extras and give me or my wife a full asthma 411 before Wednesday."

Mr. Whitaker cracks his knuckles, "Now, y'all know I'm real nervous 'bout this trip so don't y'all go playing jokes on me once we're up there or I ain't taking nobody up there no more. Do I make myself clear?"

The entire class room nods vigorously, but Mr. Whitaker isn't satisfied.

"It'd be mighty nice if I could get that aloud." He says in his well-known deep southern accent.

"Yes Mr. Whitaker,"

"Alrighty then, you are all dismissed and have a wonderful weekend."

The classroom empties almost immediately as students rush out to get home or to a friend's house. Mr. Whitaker slams his wide forehead with an open palm, "Darn it!" he utters picking up one of the left over permission slips and running out the door.

"Just a dingly second! Anyone here have class with Courtney Wright?" he yells out to the remaining of his outdoors club. He has just remembered that Courtney didn't yet have a permission slip and he'd be out most of next week arranging things for them to go to the mountain over the long weekend.

"I have fifth period with her," Chris answers and motions to a small group of students standing around him, "we all do, you know that, you teach that class." "Right you are," Mr. Whitaker says out of breath, "I need one of y'all to please do me the favor to give her this." he says waving a green recycled sheet.

"I'll get it to her," Chris offers. He takes the green sheet in his hand and then asks, "but what does she need this for? She isnt in the club."

"I know she's ain't, could you just go ahead and do it anyways? She'll know what's about."

"Sure Mr. W." Chris answers putting the permission slip away.

"Thanks!" Mr. Whitaker yells as Chris and his friends walk away. Chris waves his arm to acknowledge Mr. Whitaker and keeps walking.

"So you're actually gonna interact with the queen bitch." Brooke comments as they walk out of the parking lot.

Chris thinks for a second, "Shit! I hadn't realized that till now."

Brooke laughs, "Not the sharpest tool in the shed are you?"

Chris curses again, everybody with half a brain knows Courtney as the most bad-tempered person ever. Her anger elevates sky high and her attitude gets her in trouble every two seconds.

Chris shakes his head and regrets not having ran out of the school as soon as they were released. Still, it was a favor to Mr. Whitaker. And how could he say no to him? Mr. Whitaker was the definition of nice with a disguise of brown cowboy boots and a warm southern accent. Everybody loved his Poetry in Perspective class.

"Anybody need a ride?" Tom asks opening the door to his dad's minivan.

"Of course we do, you don't expect us to actually walk, do you?" Brooke answers getting in.

"A little exercise wouldn't hurt." Tom says starting the engine and directing his comment to Sebastian.

"What are you trying to say?" Sebastian says ready to fight.

"Just what you heard fatty." Tom answers coldly turning the car out the parking lot toward the exit.

"That's it lemme out of this damn car!" Sebastian screams and begins to breathe uneasily.

"What's your goddamn problem Tom?" Brooke shouts patting Sebastian's back, "Breathe," she instructs Sebastian who's already sucking at his medicine tube.

"I want out!" Sebastian demands between ragged breaths. He pushes Brooke away and reaches for the door.

"Stop Sebastian, Chris do something!" Brooke says smacking the back of Chris's head.

"Tom, just apologize," Chris says still regretting the green sheet in his book bag.

"Alright I'm sorry," Tom apologizes, "I shouldn't have called you fatty alright, I'm a dope head, so sue me."

Sebastian settles down and shakes his head, "That wasn't cool man."

He stares out the window feeling gloomy. "Stupid Tom" he thinks but doesn't dare to say. If Tom only knew the awful diets he had gone through only to end up fatter than before.

Currently, his mom had him on a dairy-diet. He had to eat tons of yogurt and salad to fill up his starving body. That meant, no meat, no bread, no pasta, not anything but milk-based products and veggies.

Sebastian puts a hand over his stomach which growls hungrily at the reminder of food, then takes it away self-consciously. Though he didn't want to tell anybody, Sebastian wants to go to the mountain because he knows there won't be anybody there to restrict his culinary craves.

"Brooke, you're a girl. Why don't you give this to Courtney?" Chris asks waving the green sheet on her face.

"Why in the world would I want to do that?"

"Because you love me?"

"Yeah, try again,"

"Come on Brooke, she won't chew you off as bad."

"And you get that conclusion from where?"

"You're a girl! Nobody beats up girls."

"Yeah well, there's always a first time and besides, in case you haven't noticed, Courtney's a girl too."

"She not a girl," Tom says laughing, "she a…bitch." he says stretching the sentence for comic effect.

"You shouldn't always judge people like that!" Sebastian mutters angrily though he has to admit he wouldn't want to be in Chris's shoes either.

Tom looks at Sebastian's bitter expression through the rearview mirror, "Look man, I am really sorry about what I said before, but you know it's different with Courtney. You're nice and she's…not."

"Maybe she has a reason," Sebastian says not believing it for a second. Somehow he feels Tom in indirectly trying to insult him using Courtney's name as a muffler. "Stop the car, that's my house there."

Toms stops the car and Sebastian gets out, "Hey Bastian man!"

Sebastian turns to see Tom extending a hand out the window, "We cool?" Tom asks hoping for a truce.

Sebastian hesitates for two seconds and then takes Tom's hand, "Yeah, why not."

Tom pulls over in front of his house and pushes the _unlock door _button. "You can walk home from here." he tells Brooke and Chris. Since they all live in the same elite neighborhood in the west side of Greensboro, Chris always drives them home and they hang out together a lot. It wasn't until last year that they invited Sebastian into their exclusive circle of friendship.

Chris pushes the passenger-side's door open and steps out onto the hot gravel. Tom opens his door and turns swiftly to open Brooke's door. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

"No, I can get there by myself thank you very much." Brooke says and rolls her eyes.

"You're not still mad about the fattie thing are you?"

"You know he's sensitive about his body. Why are you so mean to him?!"

Chris sees them arguing but decides to go home instead of mixing himself in. "See you tomorrow guys."

Tom waves Chris away. "Because he doesn't belong Brooke. Why does he hang out with us anyways?"

"He doesn't have any friends, besides, you don't seem to mind him when you're copying his homework."

"I'm just saying I don't like the guy."

"Fine! But I do, so you either get used to him and be nice or go to hell."

Tom turns away and shields his eyes from the sun. _Why do you have to like fattie? _he asks silently in his head but decides to leave it at that. "So do you want me to walk you home or what?" he asks.

Brooke shakes her head. "Ask me again when you're not a jerk." she says quietly and leaves, gravel crackling under her shoes as she walks away.

Tom locks the car with the press of a little button, the car goes _bleep, bleep _and the lights blink twice. He watches Brooke walk away and marches himself to his doorstep.

Sebastian had arrived as a new student on their sophomore year. Brooke saw him sitting by himself in the cafeteria and felt sorry for him so she invited him to eat lunch with them. Ever since then, Sebastian had stuck to them like a bloodthirsty leech.

At first, Chris didn't mind Sebastian so much not until he saw how the little male bitch stared at Brooke and then on Valentine's day he even gave her a white teddy bear holding a heart with yellow letters embroidered by hand that read "I love you"

"Lemme out of the car." Tom mimicks Sebastian as he enters his house, "Idiot." he mumbles.

He drops his book bag on the coffee table, kicks off his shoes and jumps onto the expensive red sofa in the living room. He reaches for the remote and flips through the channels not really paying attention to the TV but still thinking about Brooke's last words to him. He hadn't been a jerk… had he?

"Good afternoon Mr. Thomas." Rosario the maid says handing Tom a banana.

"Thanks," Tom says grabbing the banana and peeling it eagerly. Though he wouldn't call himself the healthiest snack-eater, Rosario always gave him a banana when he got home from school.

It all started when Tom was a little boy. He had just come back home from a particularly rough day at the daycare center. He was roaming about the kitchen looking for a snack when he sighted a yummy batch of cookies laying tentatively on the counter. He was about to reach for one when Rosario slammed his hand with a cooking spoon.

"Wait for dinner!" she conveyed.

"But I'm hungry now, I need to eat something." Tom argued.

"No!" Rosario said, she didn't let him eat anything that day. The same thing happened day in and day out until Rosario and Tom finally came to the agreement that she would let him eat a banana everyday before dinner and he'd leave her alone.

Time went by and Tom was allowed to eat anything anytime now, but Rosario always greeted him with a banana in hand. A gesture Tom appreciated dearly since it made him feel more at home.

"Rosario, I've told you already, you don't have to call me 'Mr. Thomas'" Tom says grinning widely, "Call me Mr. Tommy."

"Yes Mr. Tommy," Rosario says smiling, calling him 'Mr.' was another inside joke between them. "So what would you like to eat today Tommy?" Rosario asks.

"Why are you asking _me_? Aren't my parents home?" Tom asks.

Rosario shakes her head, "No they are not, they both left for Paris yesterday."

"Together?" Tom asks puzzled knowing that his parents _do not _get along. They have the sort of marriage in which they live together, eat in the same table and sleep in the same bed. But date other people, spend the night out without saying where and fight about the most insignificant things.

"Well, it's a job thing." Rosario says shrugging. Mr. Thomas Hunter Sr. had shared ownership of a prestigious feminine underwear company and his wife Betty Hunter was a model and spokes girl for their line _Secrecy, _so even if they didn't get along, they had to act like they did for publicity and money which they considered to be the key to happiness.

"When do they get back?" Tom asks.

Rosario shrugs, "Sometime next week."

Tom nods taking the last bite of his banana, "In that case, would you sign my permission slip. I'm going to the mountain."

"Aren't there bears in the mountain?" Rosario asks almost alarmed.

Tom shakes his head laughing, "No there aren't any bears in the mountain." he then remembers the truth and says, "Well actually there are bears in the mountain but there are also guns in the cabin."

"Guns!" Rosario yelps opening her eyes widely and putting both hands over her heart.

Tom sighs, Rosario worried more about him than his parents ever did. It was nice to feel cared for, but it was also a pain in the ass. "Oh come on there are guns here too."

He says motioning to his father's armory room where Mr. Hunter kept his finest rifles and guns.

"But…"

"It's safe I promise, I'm going with Brooke and Chris." Tom says purposely leaving out Sebastian's name.

"Is that why you want to go? Brooke?" Rosario teases with a lovey voice.

"So will you sign it or do I have to fake-sign it myself?"

Rosario takes the green sheet and signs it using the pen Tom handed her. "Just be careful," she says looking at him in the eye, her gray hair neatly tucked in a tight bun and her brown eyes shining warmly.

"I will be, I promise." Tom says.

Rosario nods, "Very well, what do you want to eat for dinner then, I should get started."

Tom shrugs and then smiles, "Why don't you take a break today. I'll order us some pizza and put it on my dad's card."

"Pizza?" Rosario asks happily.

Tom nods, "or chicken, or salad, or calamari, or escargot…"

Rosario laughs, "Sounds good to me."

"I'm on it." Tom says punching the pizza place's number on his cell and ordering an extra large supreme pizza and purposely asks for extra onions knowing how much Rosario hates onions. It is _my _pizza, why is she assuming I'm gonna give her any?

MONDAY MORNING

A drop of cold sweat rolls down Chris's back when he hears the clink, clink of Courtney's shoes as she walks through the classroom. She drops her raggedy black bag on the floor and crashes onto her seat. Her elbow-long hair falls like a dark curtain over her pale face and she wraps her ripped black sweater tightly around her gauntly body, crosses her legs and slumps on the back of the chair.

Chris gets out the green permission slip and walks to her desk with his mission firmly set in his mind. He sighs nervously and cracks his left thump.

"Mr. Whitaker asked me to give you this." he says wondering if it's true that she once broke a guy's leg in the girl's bathroom at a public library.

Courtney glares at Chris. For a second, Chris thinks that her glare is going to burn right through his skin and fry his brain, but then she looks down at the green sheet and begins to read it.

"Yeah, so…there you go." Chris says walking away.

"Halliwel," Chris hears his last name being called by Courtney's cool steely voice.

Chris turns around, his heart beating fast as if the principal had just called his name over the intercom, "Yes," he says slowly.

Courtney looks at him through icy brown eyes, "Thanks." she says.

Chris's mouth drops open at her first sign of sociability this year. He realizes a drop of drool is about to fall from his open jaw. He closes it and mumbles, "Sure," and heads back to his seat.

please review


	2. Ｓｔａｙ　Ａｌｉｖｅ－Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ　２

ＰＬＡＹ＞＞＞

SATURDAY MORNING -FIELDTRIP DEPARTURE DAY

"I just said I don't think she's so bad." Ｃｈｒｉｓ says shrugging.

"Are we talking about the same Courtney who slammed a tray full of hot mashed potatoes on your face just because you tried to get a fork in the lunch line?" Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ asks incredulous.

"She said 'thanks'"

"So what? she said 'thanks' big deal. I still think she's a bitch." Toms says. He then grabs a mini-basketball and tosses it to a to-scale basket on the door of Sebastian's room.

"Yeah but still, there's something about her. I don't know what, it's like, I don't know." Ｃｈｒｉｓ says not able to describe the tingly sensation that went off in his body when he looked into Courtney's eyes and she looked back.

"Whatever Ｃｈｒｉｓ, I just want go off to the mountain and have a nice relaxed weekend with no bad-attitude Courtney to ruin it." Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ says kicking a fully packed duffel bag. They had all decided to meet at Sebastian's house so that it'd be easier for the outdoors' club van to pick them up.

"Yeah me too, I can't believe in a couple of hours we'll be at Hightrails mountain. In a cozy wood cabin with a warm fire blazing in front of us." Tom says 

already envisioning the cabin.

"Hey guys look at this corny website." Sebastian says laughing.

The others gather around his old computer. "A fortune telling website?" Ｃｈｒｉｓ reads out loud.

"Oh look! It lets you ask it about one thing for free." Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ says excited. "Hey Bastian, why don't you type in 'weekend in the mountain'" she says tapping his shoulder savagely.

Sebastian types it in anxious to please Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ and then clicks on the _fortune foretold_ button.

A page-long poem appears in front of their eyes and Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ bangs her fists on Sebastian's shoulder. "Oh this is so exciting!" she begins to read when a _HONK!_ goes off and Sebastian's mother calls.

"Sebastian, baby, your bus is here!"

"Print it out! Print it out!" Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ screams and Sebastian forces a quaky finger to click on the _print _button.

They all pick up their bags in a hurry and pull them up to their shoulders ready to leave. Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ rips the page out of the printer and runs out.

They all rush to the door and collide on each other. A bit dazzled but still 

conscious they push their way out and half roll down the stairs.

Sebastian's three-year-old sister, Casey, comes out from the living room screaming, "Earthquake! Earthquake!"

Sebastian's mother laughs as she watches the stampede of kids hurry down her stairs. She hugs Casey to her legs, "It's just Sebastian and his friends, honey, don't be scared." says Mrs. Martin.

"Bye mom!" Sebastian screams on his way out to the door.

"Bye Mrs. Martin," the others say in unison as they scramble their way out the door and pull their stuck up bags through the narrow doorway.

They make their way to the bus and run to the door gasping for air.

"Kids, for goodness sake, I would have waited for you!" Mr. Whitaker says, his blue eyes bulging out of their sockets as he puts a check next to their names.

They all find their seats in the bus and parade to the back embarrassed by their stood-up hair and sweaty clothes. "Why did we rush so much anyway?" Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ wonders.

She sits on the second seat from the back. Tom looks eager to sit next to her but Sebastian beats him to it and he ends up sitting next to Ｃｈｒｉｓ on the seat behind.

Once the bus is on the go Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ scrambles for the wrinkly paper. It was still warm from the printing and she opens it eagerly.

"What does it say?" Ｃｈｒｉｓ asks.

Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ flattens it against the back of the seat and begins to read as she holds it with shaky hands still agitated from the marathon-worthy run.

"I can't see!" Ｃｈｒｉｓ complains from the back. Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ holds it up and makes sure everyone can see it clearly. Once all eyes are fixated on the paper she begins to read herself.

_The kids run, a girl jumps_

_The bus starts and so they go_

_A flawless trip it seems to be_

_Until an unsure girl trips on her feet_

_She jumps off to abridge life_

_She jumps off scared of life_

_Guarding a dark secret_

_Everyone despises her_

_Everybody admires him_

_Everyone hates her_

_Everyone loves him_

_And yet_

_No one knows her_

_Her identity is his identity _

Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ reads the poem over and over again not quite understanding what it says. "Wow, that's scary." Ｃｈｒｉｓ says. "Do you guys get it we're the kids that ran and Sebastian's sister jumped, 'cause she thought we were an earthquake."

"Bastian, is this some kind of joke?" Ｃｈｒｉｓ asks.

"No, no I didn't write this. How could I even predict that?"

"Maybe it's just coincidence." Toms says not wanting to believe it.

"What if it's not?" Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ asks. "What if some girl really dies?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Ｃｈｒｉｓ looks up and around, "Naw, that's not possible. It says right there that it's a girl everybody hates right?" He motions for the others to see for themselves, "Suse, you're the only girl here and everybody loves you."

Ｃｈｒｉｓ's eyebrows go up as he sees the bad weather-tinted neighborhood they entered. He had never seen this place before, up until now he thought this kind of places existed only in third world countries.

"Where are we?" Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ asks looking up.

The bus comes to a halt and a cloud of dust goes up almost blinding the driver. The bus's door opens with a swift hissing sound and Ｃｈｒｉｓ's ear catches a 

familiar _clink, clink. _

The entire bus's attention is drawn to the front and a silent gasp echoes in the bus. Up front stands Courtney Wright with her book bag slung on one shoulder and a duck tape-sealed cookie container hugged to her body.

"What'reya dopeheads staring at?" she says. The words aren't stunningly wicked but she says it with a voice so hateful and powerful it cuts right through their core and everybody looks away.

She walks to the back of the bus the _clink, clink _of her shoes announcing every step. She stops at the seat where Carlos and Adrian are sitting. She gets this surprised-in-disguise face as she glares at Adrian who looks back at her. He isn't afraid or anything (like most kids would be.) He smiles and so does she. A warm and totally out of place smile on her face, but nevertheless a smile.

Ｃｈｒｉｓ sees her two-second interaction and wonders what's going on between the two of them. He has, after all, never seen Adrian talking to anybody other than Carlos and he has _never_ seen Courtney bother with anybody period.

He shrugs it off and watches Courtney as she walks to the end of the bus. She stops and throws herself on the last seat next to Ｃｈｒｉｓ's and carefully places the cookie jar next to her.

Courtney hugs the cookie jar defensively and stares straight out the window, her hair covering her face and expression completely.

Ｃｈｒｉｓ, Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ, Tom and Sebastian spin to look at each other as the bus starts off again and turns around back to the highway.

"I guess this won't be such a relaxed getaway." Ｃｈｒｉｓ says in a soft whisper.

"What do you mean it won't be relaxed? _I'm_ planning to have fun." Tom says.

"Have fun? Are you mad? We have to stop her!" Ｃｈｒｉｓ whispered fiercely slamming a fist again the back of Sebastian's chair.

"Why?" Sebastian dares ask.

"What do you mean 'why'? because we have to!" Ｃｈｒｉｓ answers.

Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ nods, "He's right, though nobody likes her, we do have to help her."

Tom and Sebastian see that Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ wants to stop Courtney and so they immediately join in. "Yeah, we should help."

Ｃｈｒｉｓ rolls his eyes at them. Tom and Sebastian are as predictable as pre-recorded football game. The only one who didn't notice their attitude was Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ, go figure!

SATURDAY MORNING- STILL ON THE BUS

"Mr. Whitaker, why do you keep checking? We're all in a bus, where would we go?" Carlos asks as Mr. Whitaker takes row for the third time.

Mr. Whitaker pulls a blue hankie from his Joe-the-explorer suit's pocket and wipes beads of nervous perspiration from his forehead. "Just making sure er-body's here."

"_Er-body _is here, so stop checking. You woke me up." Carlos says and cuddles on his pillow.

The three hour trip felt prolonged by the general nervousness in the bus. Mr. Whitaker sits down and cracks his shaky fingers. He didn't want to go on this trip, he's a nervous wreck! The only reason why he even suggested coming up was because it was a favor to a friend. _What if one of the kids gets lost? Or worst, what if something happens to one of them? _a shrill voice in his mind asks over and over again.

Ｃｈｒｉｓ stares at the back of Courtney's head. He isn't sure whether she is asleep or just looking out the window, but she protects the cookie jar fiercely.

Her fingers hold it tightly against her body and it looks like the only thing of value she carries.

Ｃｈｒｉｓ wonders why she's thinking of killing herself. It was anonymously decided they wouldn't discuss the poem when Courtney was sitting right there and yet Ｃｈｒｉｓ can't stop thinking about it.

Why does everybody hate her so much anyway?

She's mean, she shoved a lunch tray on Ｃｈｒｉｓ's face, she never talks to anybody, there's a rumor that she broke somebody's leg in a bathroom, she's being called to the front office almost everyday which _probably _means she's in trouble most of the time. Ｃｈｒｉｓ reminds himself of all the reasons, but what if there is more to that than just a bad attitude.

She's not actually mean she's just not miss peppy congeniality of the year; Ｃｈｒｉｓ _had_ been on her way when she shoved the lunch tray on his face; she probably doesn't talk to anybody because she doesn't have anything to say; the rumor might just be a lie or exaggerations; and you could be called to the office for a million reasons other than trouble.

Thinking about it, Ｃｈｒｉｓ realizes Courtney has a bad attitude only in history's eyes, but she's not really _that _bad. Besides, after seeing the place where she 

lived, Ｃｈｒｉｓ considers she has a damn good reason to be in a bad mood all the time. To attend one of the most elite public high school in the city made Ｃｈｒｉｓ forget all about the world outside his own money cocoon.

His daily life consists of going to school and then back home to the colonial-style development where he, Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ and Tom live. Occasional trips to the mall, the exclusive country club in which Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ, Tom and Sebastian all have memberships and golfing with his dad on the weekends.

Ever since he was a little boy, Ｃｈｒｉｓ's parent's high income have allowed Ｃｈｒｉｓ a life of luxury and carelessness. He had never thought people lived in places like the one Courtney did. Ｃｈｒｉｓ had always blamed poor people for their own misery, but the prolonged bus trip allowed him time to think about it. How could anybody help where, how or into which social class they where born?

SATURDAY AFTERNOON -IN THE CABIN

Mr. Whitaker checks off the last kid off the bus and in the cabins and then commands. "Okay now, kids go up to your rooms, get settled and then meet me and 

Mrs. Whitaker down here in half and hour." He wipes his forehead on his sweaty blue hankie. "Boys you go up that way," He points to the left side staircase. "and girls you go to that side," He points to the other side.

The kids rummage upstairs pulling heavy luggage with cramped arms and tingly legs. Courtney rolls her eyes as she sees Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ struggling with her heavy suitcase. "You rich kids sure don't know how to have fun." She says helping Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ with her luggage, "Always have to carry your crap around everywhere."

"_This _is where we're staying. Where's the closet? No DVD? Where's the stereo? Don't they have a hair blower? What's this ugly carpet? Oh my God, is that the bed where I'm sleeping? It's so tiny!"

"Shut up! Would you like to sleep here, or should I just knock you unconscious and leave you for the bears?"

"Gee, you don't have to go psycho-ball on me. I paid highly for quality and I should get it, that's all I'm saying."

Courtney opens the drawer in her bedside table and carefully places the cookie jar inside. "Touch that drawer and I'll kill you." She says stepping out the room.

"Where are you going?" Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ asks.

Courtney turns her head and puffs impatiently. "They're expecting us downstairs."

SATURDAY AFTERNOON -STILL IN THE CABIN

"No AC?"

"There aren't any hair blowers?"

"The TV in our room doesn't work?"

"Bunk beds?"

"No closet space?"

"I think we have termites?"

"I saw a roach in our room?"

Mr. Whitaker shakes his head and raises both hands. "What are y'all talking 'bout?"

Carlos looks at Mr. Whitaker square in the eye. "Mr. Whitaker, I think what everybody's trying to say is that this place… sucks."

"What are ya? Real state agents? This is the best place I could find and I think 

it's mighty nice."

"I just can't believe you paid for this, _we_ paid for this." Tom complains. His hands on his hips and a disgusted expression on his face.

"Oh come on kids, we're gonna have a great time in this cozy little shack. I brought blow driers, a DVD player and cookie dough." Mrs. Whitaker comes to the rescue.

"We're gonna spend the weekend baking cookies?" A tall dark-haired boy, Joseph, asks surprised.

Mrs. Whitaker laughs. "No, but I'll bet you'll want cookies when you come back from climbing the mountain, fishing or from bow and arrow lessons."

Everyone in the ten-person group sighs relieved.

Mr. Whitaker takes out a bundle of yellow recycled sheets and hands them out to everybody. "This's the itinerary for the next three days if there's no rain though we might do some things even if it's raining. You're free to use this weekend as a getaway from everything and you do not have to participate in any of the activities if you don't want. For the rest of the day, you're free to do as you please and the fun'll start tomorrow."

Some kids walk to the giant living room to watch a movie in the HG plasma 

TV using the DVD player Mrs. Whitaker is already setting up. Carlos and his buddy Adrian go out for a walk and the rest goes up to their rooms.

"Lunch'll be served at two!" Mrs. Whitaker screams from the kitchen.

"Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ!" Ｃｈｒｉｓ calls and she backs off to the stairs.

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"We're meeting at the dining room in ten minutes, to talk about the poem."

"Okay," Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ answers remembering the poem, she had forgotten completely. "I'll just go get a sweater, it's kind of chilly in here." She says running her hands up her arms.

Ｃｈｒｉｓ grins, points to the dining room and walks away.

Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ goes up the stairs and into her room to find it empty. "That's strange, I thought I saw Courtney come up." she thinks. She opens one of her bags, pulls out a fuzzy pink sweater and feels the soft smell of lavender of its perfumed soap. She breathes it in and decides to perk up her make up a little, after all, she's about to walk down into a house full of guys.

Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ gets out her makeup box and walks to the bathroom deciding that some Allium-Poof pink lipgloss will go brilliantly with her pastel pink sweater.

Her hand touches the cold golden doorknob and she twists it to 

counterclockwise. The door opens easily and she walks in while humming a song in her head.

"Na na, naa na na na Ahhhh!" Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ screams when she sees Courtney sitting on the bathroom's floor, her eyes and nose scarlet, her hair messy and a crumpled tissue in her hand. She sneezes.

"Get outta here!" Courtney yells angrily getting up and ready to jump on Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ.

Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ turns around quickly and trips on her own feet. "Sorry, I didn't know you where here."

"Well now you do so GET OUT!" Courtney screams again.

Ｂｒｏｏｋｅ pulls her feet out of the way and Courtney slams the door shut.

Please Review B)


	3. Chapter 3

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Chris finally sees Brooke coming down the stairs and says, "Brooke, next time I say _ten minutes _have in mind that I actually mean _right now_."

"Sorry, Courtney was hogging the bathroom so I had to put on make up using a tiny mirror in my purse."

"Yeah, next time you don't have to apply make up, just come."

"Chris leave her alone," Sebastian interrupts. "You look great." He says to Brooke.

"Though I'd love to know what brand of lipgloss and what shade of pink you're wearing, we're here to talk about the poem." Chris says.

"Right, the poem!" Brooke says remembering.

"You do have it don't you?" Chris asks.

"Yeah, it's in my pocket." Brooke takes it out and flattens it. "By the way, when I went in the bathroom, Courtney was crying."

"What about?" Chris asks.

"You think I asked?"

"Point taken."

"Anyways what I don't understand is the her/him part. It's talking about a girl right? So why does it say him? Did they even mention a guy?"

Chris shakes his head. "I don't understand that either but I figured if we all take turns to keep an eye on Courtney, nothing's gonna happen."

"You mean become her friends?" Tom asks.

Chris shrugs. "Why not? Maybe she doesn't have friends 'cause nobody's tried before." He turns to Brooke. "Why don't you try to befriend her and then introduce her to the group?"

"Are you out of your mind? She tried to kill me just because I walked into the bathroom today."

"Oh like you wouldn't get mad if she did the same to you."

"It's different with her Chris, I was afraid for my legs."

"Come on, nobody even proved that story was true."

"You want proof? Just look at her!"

"Have you, any of you, ever seen her hurt anybody?"

"No,"

"Then she probably hasn't. Now are you going to help me or what?"

Brooke nods, "Fine, I'll try, but if I die, you better tell my mother it was your fault."

"I will,"

Mrs. Whitaker enters the room carrying a tray of hot-from-the-over cornbread, "Oh kids thank God, I need your help. Follow me to the kitchen and set the table."

"Damn it!" Tom mutters under his breath. He gets up and follow the others who had already gotten up and gone to the kitchen.

As Tom places spoons and forks on top of each plate Mr. Whitaker comes to the room and sees him. He laughs at Toms awkwardness setting the table

"I don't get it," Tom complains. "I come here for a weekend getaway and instead I'm doing slave labor."

"Then who sets the table at your house er-night?" Mr. Whitaker asks grinning.

"Rosario, the maid." Tom answers, delivers the last spoon and heads to the kitchen for more.

Mr. Whitaker shakes his head at Tom's bad attitude toward work. What a spoiled little brat he is. He takes the forks and spoons and places them next to each plate, then heads to the kitchen to see what's cooking.

SATURDAY NIGHT

"Courtney, have you seen the flowers I put in the bathroom?"

Courtney pulls a bookmark from the middle of a thick book and flops onto bed. "Yeah, I threw them out the window." Courtney answers already lost in her book.

"You did what?!"

"Threw them out the window." Courtney answers patiently.

"I heard you! Why did you do that? They were my flowers."

"Well I didn't like them."

"Who cares what you like, those were expensive perfumed fleurs-faux from _Rossies. _You had no right!"

"Oh and what're you gonna do about it?"

"Kill you in your sleep!" Brooke mutters plunging her hands into her jeans's pockets and feeling the four-folded poem inside. She takes it out and reads it, then remembering Chris's plan she asks, "Say Courtney, would you like to be my friend."

Courtney looks up from her book. "Will that be before or after you kill me in my sleep?"

"Before…and after…forever."

"Go to hell freako."

"No, no I mean for real," Brooke walks to Courtney's bed and sits on the corner completely forgetting about the flowers by now.

"We could do our nails together, and do our hair and go shopping, yay!" she squeals.

"If you want money I ain't got any so you might as well stop." Courtney doesn't even take her eyes off her book this time.

"No, I don't want money. I just want a girl-friend to hang out with."

"Then get one."

"Does that mean 'yes'"

"No it means wait till we're back in the city and get one."

"Why wait when you're right here?"

"'cause I might choke you to death if you don't shut the fuck up."

"Oh aren't you cute? I mean it, I want to be your friend."

Courtney slams her book shut making Brooke jump a little. "What do you want?!" she half screams.

Brooke's a bit shaken by Courtney's outburst but stands firm on her ground. "I 

want you to be my friend."

"Will that shut you up?"

Brooke nods excited, "For the night, Yes."

"Fine! I'm your goddamn friend."

"Yay!"

"Shut up!"

"Sorry."

SUNDAY MORNING -5:30AM

Brooke wakes from a magical-pony style dream to the dark contour of the room she shares with Courtney. The room is dark illuminated only by the faint lights of sunrise as it creeps through the night. The room is cold and Brooke shivers as she picks up a piney scent on the air. She sits up in bed and notices that the window is open.

'Oh crap, I'm gonna have to get up and close it myself' she thinks pushing her feet to the floor. The soft carpet feels fuzzy under her bare feet as she walks to close the glass window. She turns to take a look at Courtney's bed and finds that she's not there.

"Don't panic, she might be in the bathroom." Brooke tells herself but when she 

peaks under the door and sees nothing but darkness behind it she knows she's wrong.

"Courtney!" She calls out loud.

"Courtney! Courtney!" Brooke calls switching on the lights and looking around the room hopefully.

Brooke's ear catches a sound coming from out the window and immediately dreads the worst. "A bear!" She says almost loud enough for the guys to hear her, but not quite loud enough.

"No, no it's me. Shut up you bubbling idiot! You're gonna wake up the world." Courtney's voice says in a fierce whisper.

"Courtney? Where are you?"

Courtney peaked through the window and placed a finger over her lips.

"Courtney? What are you doing out there?"

"Chilling."

"On the roof? In the middle of the night?"

"Beats the hell out of laying in a bed motionless for nine hours straight."

"You don't sleep?"

"Not for long enough to look as dead as you do. Did you know you snore?"

"I don't snore,"

Courtney snorts, "Trust me, yeah you do."

"Would you come back inside? You're making me really nervous."

"How?"

"You might fall and die." Brooke says stating what she and her friends are trying to stop.

"Oh, what do you care."

"I'm your friend."

"Yeah why not."

"So are you coming in?"

"No."

"Why?"

"'cause I don't wanna. Go back to bed and get your beauty sleep."

"But…"

"But what? Just Butt out."

"No that's okay, I want to go out there with you too."

"You can't come out here."

"Why not?"

"'cause I don't want you here."

"Why not?"

"'cause you're annoying for Christsake."

"But I can't leave you out there by yourself. What if you fall and break your legs and there's no one there to help you."

"Oh please, that would only happen if your clumsy ass was with me."

"Promise you'll be fine and I'll leave."

"Has anyone ever told you you're a pain, the biggest pain ever."

"Just promise."

"Fine, I promise." Courtney says exasperated.

"Cross you heart…?"

"And hope to die."

SUNDAY MORNING -7:12AM

"Get up!" Courtney screams banging a spoon on a wall.

"Ahhh!" Brooke jumps up and falls from bed. "Why'd you do that? you crazy bitch."

Courtney laughs pleased by Brooke's reaction. "Just for fun."

"Fun, you think it's fun for me to have a heart attack?"

"Naw, I just wanted to scare you, but good thinking, maybe next time."

"Why'd you wake me anyways? It's still early."

"Breakfast's ready, Mrs. Whitaker sent me to get you."

"Hey, you kept your promise." Brooke says remembering last night.

Courtney walks out of the room and mutters almost inaudibly. "I never break a promise."

SUNDAY MORNING -BREAKFAST

"So guys, guess what? I found the way through to Courtney."

"What is it?" Chris asks excitedly as he butters a piece of toast.

"Annoy the hell out of her!"

"Why? Are you two friends now."

Brooke half nods half shakes her head. "More or less, I mean she's not that bad you know? All those rumors about her being a total bitch aren't completely true. She's 

nice in a strange way, and strange in a weird way."

"How so?"

"Yesterday night -or today morning- she was 'chilling' up on the roof out the window."

"You think she was about to jump?"

"No, not at all. That's the strange thing, she looked peaceful and happy. I mean, she was acting all tough and mean, but it didn't look like she meant it."

"She's coming." Tom warns as he sees Courtney coming out the kitchen with a plateful of eggos and a glassful of milk.

Chris begins to get up to go talk to Courtney, but Mr. Whitaker beats him to her.

"Hey Courtney, I'd like to have a word with you."

Courtney eyes him nervously and he pats her shoulder. "That's okay, Mrs. Whitaker's waiting for us in my office."

The quaky unsecure look on Courtney's face eases down a bit though she still looks tense. Finally, with a soft sigh, she follows Mr. Whitaker to his office in the center of the house right between the stairs that lead to the dorm rooms.

Mr. Whitaker holds a wad of napkins with one hand, a plateful of pancakes and 

eggos in the other and a bundle of papers wedged between his body and arm.

One of the papers falls out and Chris runs to pick it up for him.

"Mr. Whitaker! Your paper."

"Oh, it's just a napkin keep it." Mr. Whitaker yells back, the office's double doors closing behind him.

Chris picks it up anyways and softly says almost to himself. "No it's not, it's a…Oh my God, never mind."

Mr. Whitaker is long gone but Chris scrambles back to his seat nervously anyway. "Guys, look at this." Chris whispers showing the paper to his other friends.

"What is it?" Sebastian asks taking the paper in his buttery hand.

It was a single white sheet with tiny typing and messy red letters.

"Give me that, you're getting butter all over it." Chris rips it out of Sebastian's hands and reads it.

"Department of mental health and psychiatry," He glances up and sees the others. Their eyes are glued to the paper and their ears perked up with expectation.

"Patient number two, one, zero, eight, seven. Age sixteen. God this is her profile, how lucky is that?"

"Keep going,"

"Due to mental status, we do not recommend for patient two, one, eight, seven to be in constant contact with females. Privacy is advised. For two, zero, eight, seven's own safety, secrets shall remain secret until two, zero, eight, seven decides for it to come out.

"If you have any questions or concerns please call Dr. Flint at (336) 092 2234."

"Any of you bring your phone?"

Brooke unhooks hers for her denim shorts and flips it open. "I have a phone, what I don't have is bars."

"Then why do you carry it around?" Sebastian asks.

"'cause it looks cool."

"There has to be a phone in Mr. Whitaker's office," Tom says. "or how would he call 911 if something happens."

"That's it! Brooke go ask for his phone and tell him you need to call your mommy." Chris says clapping his hands.

"But I don't need to call my mommy, I don't even like her that much."

"You're not gonna call her, you're gonna call Dr. Flint."

"Right uh, do you think I should even get involved? The paper says she shouldn't have any contact with females and I'm like the definition of female."

"Chris, why don't you go ask for the phone yourself."

"'cause I'll look like an idiot saying I miss my mommy."

"Oh and I won't?"

"Fine, I'll go. Just as soon as Courtney comes out."

"Well, there she is." Tom says, Courtney comes out of the office with her plate of eggos half empty and the full glass of milk.

Chris gets up and walks to Mr. Whitaker's office. Mr. Whitaker is still carrying the wad of napkins but his plate is empty and it's obvious that he decided to use his chin as napkins. "Mr. W, can I use your phone, I need to call home."

"Now? We're about to go fishing, c'mon call mommy later."

"It's just that I promised I'd call when I arrived."

"We arrived yesterday boy, didn't you notice the fresh air and the trees?"

"Is that what it was?" Chris asks thinking he's lost the arguments.

Mr. Whitaker laughs, "Go ahead, it's on my desk. But hurry, you don't wanna miss the fish."

Chris walks in relieved. The office is small and it has an oaky smell. Papers lay randomly on the floor and desks, piles of books are stacked everywhere and a single light bulb attempts to illuminate the entire room by itself but it is defeated by darkness.

Chris sights the red telephone perched up against a wall of slanted notebooks. He walks to it and dials the number on the paper. The phone on the other side of the line rings and he holds the receiver closer to his ear. Since the ringing is barely audible, Chris punches the volume-up button on the key pad several times. The button just springs out and Chris puts it back in place hoping Mr. W won't notice he broke his phone.

"Dr. Flint's office, how may I help you?"

"Is this Dr. Flint."

"No, I'm her secretary. Would you like to make an appointment?"

"No, no I just want to ask her about one of her patients. Courtney Wright."

"I'm sorry, we can't give away patient's information. You have to have an ID number, every patient has one for confidentiality reasons. Are you the patient?"

Chris's throat closes up and acts out a husky female voice. "Yes, I'm the patient and I need to speak with Dr. Flint, it's urgent." Chris's voice sounds fake and childish instead of feminine, but he hopes the low volume and the hoarseness of the phone reception will make him sound real.

"Okay, I'll pass you to her."

A beeping goes off in the other line and then Chris hears someone pick up a 

phone. "Hello, this is Dr. Flint."

"Hi, it's me. Patient two, zero, eight, seven."

"Just a second." Chris hears a faint clippy sound of typing on the other line. "Oh yes dear, how may I help you." Dr. Flint says her voice sounding as if she knows who she's talking to.

Now that Dr. Flint is ready to talk Chris realizes he doesn't know what to say. His mouth moves silently as he tries to make words come out of his mouth.

"Yes dear, are you still there?"

"Yes," Chris says in a high pitched voice.

"What's the matter?"

"I-I," Chris stutters, "I read the paper about me you gave my teacher and it says I'm not supposed to have contact with females. Why would you say that?"

"Oh honey, it's for your and _their _own safety. I know you're a girl, but they don't that's why I advised privacy as well. So you won't have to deal with so much by yourself."

"You _know _I'm a girl?" Chris asks wondering what she means by that.

"Well, yes, you told me remember. But don't worry I didn't tell anybody. By the way, your voice sounds strange, are you crying?" Dr. Flint asks warmly, she sounds 

like a nice woman.

"No…" Chris thinks and then decides that if Dr. Flint thought he/she was crying, she'd try to console him and maybe give away some valuable information. "Yes, yes I'm crying. I'm depressed, I don't know what to do." He says faking sobs and wondering how cheesy he sounded.

Mr. Whitaker pushes the doors to his office and walks in on Chris, who's fake-crying over the phone. "We're getting ready to leave." Mr. W announces happily, then, hearing Chris's high pitched voice and sobs he asks. "What's wrong fella?"

Chris jumps up surprised. "I have to go." He says to the phone and hangs up before Dr. Flint can answer.

"Were you crying little man?"

"No, God you scared the hell out of me man!, I wasn't crying."

"You sure?"

"As hell."

"Good then let's get outside. A five-mile hike's waiting for us."

Chris pushes Courtney's profile paper into his jean's pocket and walks out the oaky office disappointed. He made Mr. W think he was crying over the phone with his mom for nothing. He knew no more than he had before.


	4. Chapter 4

PLAY

SUNDAY MORNING -ON THE TRAIL TO BRIDGE LAKE RIVER

"One, two, one, two." Mr. Whitaker chants happily. Behind him, a group of sweaty, out-of-breath kids follow complaining about the hot sun and applying a million layers of insect repellant.

Carlos and Adrian walk along with another kid name Joseph. Twin brothers James and Lennox walk together. James holds a crystalline rock and says how amazing it will look in their rock collection. Lennox agrees with him but secretly seems bored of talking about rocks.

Chris, Suzanne, Tom and Sebastian walk in a cluster. Sebastian and Tom compare scars trying to impress Suzanne. Suzanne fans herself with her hands and rolls her eyes at the two boys.

Chris discretely looks back at Courtney and feels her glare bore holes in his back. He tries to figure out a good way to start a conversation with her. Thick drops of sweat roll down his brow and back. Not that it is as desperately hot as the others describe it but that he's so nervous.

The wind blows; twigs crackle with every step; a piney fragrance floats in the air, drifts to their noses and mingles with the flower's sweet scent. The mid-morning 

sun warms their skin lightly as the outdoors club heads to the Bridge lake.

The Bridge lake is not really a lake but a river. Its whole name would actually be Bridge Lake River. The river's actually a funny little thing.

There were many legends, myths and strange beliefs about this particular river. None of which were scientifically proven and therefore not true according to Mr. W.

The legends include a gigantic worm that lives at the mouth of the river. It is said that the cave where the river started was actually the mouth of the worm and the river's water it's fluid drool.

Everybody laughed at that one, no way drool would be so loose, not ever. And besides, how would the worm drool for so long?

Chris bites his lower lip, closes his fists tightly and turns around.

"Hey, Courtney. I heard you made friends with Brooke."

"Who?"

"Brooke."

Courtney rolls her eyes, "Brooke who?"

Chris laughs, "You know, her." He points a stiff finger to Brooke.

Courtney puffs and huffs. "Oh for Christsake, I just wanted her to shut up."

Chris smiles nervously wondering if this is the start of a flowing conversation. 

"That never works. Try punching her, it does the job for a couple of seconds…till she starts moaning that is."

"Maybe next time."

"So are you two having fun being the only two girls in the girls' dormitory?"

"Are you having fun being the only idiot in the group?"

"Yeah kind of." Chris jokes.

"Look, if you go back to your friends. I'll consider not killing you in your sleep… or at least leave you for last."

"How about I go back to them and take you with me?"

"No deal."

"Fine, then I'm not leaving."

"Suit yourself."

They walk silently. Chris expecting an oral beating from Courtney and Courtney lost in some daydream.

Seeing that Courtney's not going to say anything, Chris tries to restart their little chat. "Ever bungee jumped?"

"Whatdaya want from me? First your little girlfriend won't leave me alone and now you? Can't we go back to our ignore-each-other relationship?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"To have you leave me alone."

"I just want to talk, be friends with you. You know, the works."

Courtney sighs, "Are you doing this because you think I'm into drugs and I could sell you some cheap? 'cause I don't know where you heard it, but I'm not so you might as well knock it off."

"It's not that Courtney, God."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know, I just thought I should try to make a move while we're in this mashed-potato-tray-free environment."

"It's not a rock free environment." Courtney mutters.

Mr. W wipes his forehead with a blue hankie and warns. "Kids, be real careful now. This is a narrow trail." They are crossing to the other side of the mountain. To get there, they have to cross a very narrow track. There is a rail they can hold on to but it's just an old rope tied to each end of the cross-through.

The rope rail is on one side only and the other side there's the mountain's jagged wall. The track is wide enough for two people to walk side by side though Mr. W keeps screaming to do it one by one.

Sebastian and Tom fight to go next to Brooke. "C'mon Sebastian, you already count for two people."

"Yeah, and your stupid ego counts for three."

Brooke slips from between the two boys and they don't even realize it as they fight.

Chris holds on to the rope rail with his right hand and Courtney drags her hand along the wall.

"Watch your step real closely now. Don't want no parent of yours suing me or the school."

"So I was thinking we could be friends. You know copy each other's homework, go to the mall, that kind of Ahhh!" Chris's foot slips and his leg hangs from the side of the mountain.

"Oh God, help me!"

Courtney grabs Chris's arm and yanks him up. In one swift motion, she had him back on track without even breaking a sweat.

Chris gasps for air. His heart feels like it's about to drill a hole through his chest and run for it.

"Er'thing okay back there?" Mr. W. asks.

"Yeah, sure." Courtney says calmly. She pulls Chris to his feet and keeps walking.

"Oh my God! You saved my life girl."

"Don't exaggerate, I did no such thing."

"Yes you did. Courtney, you saved my life." Chris says catching up to her. He looks down to the cliff's edge and his eyes open wide.

"Jeez, if it wasn't for my stupid maternal instinct I would have lost you already."

"You have a kid?"

"Whatdaya care?"

"So you do?"

"Oh, shut up."

"Who with? How old is he…or she? How?"

Courtney abruptly turns to look at Chris. "If you don't shut up right now. I could undo what I just did."

"Sorry."

They keep walking and finally come past the narrow track. Relieved, Mr. W takes out the blues hankie he keeps in front pocket and wipes his whole face. He takes off his straw hat and scratches his sweaty brown hair.

"Kids, behold the Bridge Lake River." He says, his hand sweeping through the view of a paradisiacal oasis.

No matter how many awful stories they had all heard about the Bridge Lake River, little could keep them from being awed by the beautiful sight in front of them. It was like staring at the most perfect painting at the Louvre.

Some mouths dropped open and some eyes opened wide. Mr. W laughed at the kids' reaction. They might be rich, but not even them had seen anything like this. And it was not like watching it through a high definition, million dollar TV in the discovery channel. It was a thousand times better.

The water trickled through the rocks splashing and spattering around the rocky shore. A dam-like rock formation pooled the water making the illusion of a lake the size of a soccer field.

"Wow!" Carlos says.

"How deep is it?" Adrian asks.

"'bout twenty feet at deepest I think. Which brings me to the swimming issue. If there's anybody here who can't swim I would prefer for you to stay on shore and fish from the rocks."

A silent nod goes around and Mr. W immediately knows nobody's actually listening to him. "This is real important now, if anybody can't swim I want you to raise your hand right now."

Courtney's hand shoots up, she's the only one in the group with her hand up.

"Very well sweetheart, you stay here with this rod and the rest of us will walk closer to the middle. Anybody want to stay here with Courtney?"

"No," Courtney says a bit too fast. "I can stay here by myself."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Chris shakes his head, "Oh no, that's not necessary. I can stay here with her."

"No, you really don't have to." Courtney argues not wanting to say _I don't want your noisy ass with me _in front of Mr. W.

"Oh but I want to."

"But I… oh crap."

SUNDAY MORNING -AT THE BRIDGE LAKE RIVER

"My God! My God! What is that?" Chris screams.

He and Courtney pull their feet out of the water. Black botches stain their legs and suck their blood.

"Ah! Get off, get off!"

"They're just leeches rich boy, relax." Courtney says ripping the bloodsuckers off her legs. Chris's already leaping through the middle of the river screaming his head off.

"Get back here!"

"Get them off! Get them off!" He trips over a rocks and slashes his arm with a jagged rock. Blood stains the water.

Chris's in the water half drowning screaming and scared.

"Jesus Chris," Courtney sighs impatiently and follows after Chris.

Mr. Whitaker sees them and runs to Chris through the rocks with a line of kids with tangled fishing poles following close behind.

Courtney gets as close as she can walking, then jumps into the water and swims to Chris.

Chris screams as he's being dragged down stream and coughs out water. The stinging pain in his arm and the scare of the leeches got him way too far out his mind for him to remember the swimming lessons he took as a little boy with his personal swimming instructor.

He splashes water as he struggles to keep his head afloat.

"Stop splashing me! I'm trying to help you, idiot." Courtney screams. She wraps one arm around Chris's waist and uses the other one to lead them to shore.

Mr. Whitaker comes running from upstream. Sweating as if he had jumped into the river himself and screaming out. "What's happening? What's wrong? Oh my gosh! Hang on!"

Courtney closes her own mouth because she felt like she was swallowing the whole river. Chris begins to come back to his senses and starts helping them get to shore.

Water splashes on Courtney's face and hangs on to her long eyelashes giving her almost zero visibility, yet she knows where the shore is, so she swims toward it.

Finally, Courtney's hand meets with a gigantic rock. She grabs it hard and pulls herself along with Chris toward it. The water pushes their body away but Courtney hangs on stubbornly.

Mr. W arrives at the scene of the events and gets so hysterically useless that it is Carlos who ends up pulling Courtney and Chris back to land.

At first Adrian had tried to help, but he resulted to have very little upper body strength so Carlos pushed him aside and did the job himself.

After that incident Mr. W was so scared he made everyone walk back to camp and back to their rooms.

Chris insisted that it was just a scratch and it could wait to be nursed. Mr. W however wouldn't hear of it, he began to talk about all kinds of infections and even gangrene.

So that was that, the fishing trip ended in less than an hour in the magical Lake River with a bleeding arm, a wet cursing girl, a bunch of angry kids, and one pissed teacher.

SUNDAY NIGHT -BROOKE AND COURTNEY'S ROOM

"Didn't you say you couldn't swim?" Brooke asks back in their room as they get ready to sleep. After coming back from the fishing trip and after Mrs. Whitaker nursed Chris's wound. She made them chocolate chip cookies and put on a movie to entertain them. Then she took a selected group out for a walk. Mr. W locked himself in his office and stayed there for the rest of the day.

"I lied."

"Why?"

"I was hoping for some alone time."

"Funny how that's what's always in your mind."

"Funny how there's nothing in your mind."

"Ever get tired of being an ass?" Brooke asks impatiently.

Courtney looks up from her book. "Yeah, when I stop." She shoves the book aside and pulls open the drawer in her bedside table. With as much gentleness as you'd have handling a premature baby, she takes out the duck-taped cookie jar and places next to her on the bed.

Brooke looks at her from the corner of her eye. She doesn't want Courtney to think she's watching her.

Courtney pulls up her book bag and empties its contents in a pile next to the cookie jar. Out roll two pairs of faded black socks, a dark green pair of slacks and two tees.

Covering her belongings with the bedspread, Courtney then places the cookie jar inside the bag and closes the zipper. She swings it over her shoulder and walks out the room.

"Hey, where are you going?" Brooke asks.

"Out."

"We have a curfew you know! You can't just go anywhere you want anytime you want."

Courtney flashes her the finger and walks down the stairs coolly.

"God, all I wanted was a nice getaway. Why is my life so hard?" Brooke complains to God looking up.

She follows Courtney out the room and down the stairs. "Come back here. You can't just go out. What are you doing?"

Courtney sighs choosing not to say anything, opens the cabin's front door and walks out right in front of Mrs. W's eyes and almost slamming the door on Brooke's face.

"Mrs. Whitaker did you just see that? She can't do that, can she? You said curfew was at nine PM unless we were doing something organized in a group with previous approval." Brooke complains reminding Mrs. W of the well-set rules.

"I know," Mrs. Whitaker says sipping her cut of tea. "and she has my approved permission to go out."

"By herself?"

"Obviously."

"What if something happens? What if she tries to do something stupid?"

"She'll be just fine Brooke. I didn't know you cared so much for her."

"I don't, I'm just saying it's unfair she can go out and we can't."

"Well where would you like to go missy?"

Brooke shrugs realizing she can't just tell Mrs. W she wants to follow Courtney. "You know, just out to see the stars and stuff. I've never been out of the big city."

"By yourself?"

"No, I would go with the guys."

"Fine."

"You mean it?"

"It's only fair." Mrs. W says unconcerned. She knows they're too scared of the forest to get in any real trouble.

"Great! I'll go get them." Brooke says turning around from the door and already scanning the room for Chris, Sebastian and Tom.

Her eyes stumble upon Carlos and Mr. W. They're both talking and looking as 

if the leaning tower of pisa had just straightened. Soon, Brooke finds why.

"Anybody seen Adrian Carson?" Mr. W asks. Not one answer comes. Instead, an eerie silence fills the room.

"Did you check the bathrooms?" Mr. W asks.

"Bathroom, kitchen, under the bed, everywhere." Carlos answers.

"Did Adrian mention anything about going out to any of you?" Mr. W asks hopefully.

The room is quiet.

"Is there anybody else missing?" Mr. W asks wiping his head with the blue hankie and cracking his fingers nervously.

"Coutney just went out." Brooke blurts.

Scared, Brooke runs to Tom, Sebastian and Chris as soon as she spots them playing poker at a table in the far corner of the living room.

Mr. W speaks nervously, "Alright, I want three voluntaries to come with me and we'll go search for him." He turns to Mrs. Whitaker. "Laura, stay here with the walkie-talkie, call if he shows. And also, call Dr. Flint." He says.

"Dr. Flint?" Chris repeats in a whisper only audible to his friends around him. "As in Courtney's shrink?"

"She just went out." Brooke says. "This might be the night."

"Well _some _night she chose." Tom says almost angrily. Adrian's missing and Courtney might be (and probably is) about to jump off a bridge. But what bridge? The poem did mention one, but he hadn't seen one today. Unless it meant the _Bridge_ Lake River in which case she was about to jump to a river.

"What does the poem say about this?" Sebastian asks Brooke.

She takes it out of her purse.

Sebastian reads it over and over without being able to extract any missed information or hidden meanings. And what does the constant _her _slash_ him _mean?

"Let's go," Chris says getting up.

"Go where?" Sebastian asks.

"Find Courtney and Adrian."

"Yeah, Mrs. W said we could all go out." Brooke throws in.

"I think that was before she found Adrian was missing."

"So? It still applies." Chris and Brooke walk to the door. Neither Tom nor Sebastian want to go, yet Brooke is so, so are they too.

They step out the door to the crisp night. Wind whips fiercely and flashes of lightening illuminate the otherwise dark night.

Brooke cups her hands around her mouth and positions her lips to shout out Courtney's name. Chris slaps a hand to her face and places a finger over his lips.

"If Courtney and Adrian just disappeared it possible neither of them wanted to be found. Our screams will just scare them off."

Brooke pushes his hand away. "We should have brought flashlights."

"I'm two steps ahead of ya sistah." Chris takes out a flashlight from his saggy pants' pocket.

"Didn't you read the entire permission slip form? We were all required to bring a flashlight. In case we were lost, we were supposed to turn it on and off in fixed intervals of threes."

"Geek,"

"Freak,"

"Stop! Lets find Moody Loony and get out of here." Tom growls and Sebastian agrees.

Chris flicks the flashlight on and begins to walk in the direction Courtney probably went. Deciding it was a good idea to hurry since Mr. W's search party might come out the door and kick them right back in.

Twigs crack underfoot and visibility is limited to the dying flashlight and 

moonlight. The moon's glow turns the forest into a blue wonderland. Little drops of water on the leaves glitter flashing a million tiny reflections of light and forming a milky way of their own down here in earth.

Chris bites hard at the flashlight's handle and uses both hands to open way for his body through the thick bushes. He and the others are walking right next to the trail and yet not on it. Giving away their position right now would not be a good idea and using the only trail up the mountain would be deadly stupid.

"You know? I don't even like that Courtney girl, heck, I don't think anybody does. Why should we even help her?" Tom asks.

"Same reason we hang out with you." Chris answers pulling the flashlight out his mouth.

"Because she's filthy rich?" Tom asks knowing she's rather filthy poor.

"Because we have to." Brooke answers for Chris.

Her comment stops both Tom and Sebastian from complaining any further.

"God! Did you hear that?" Brooke says stopping them in their tracks.

Chris's ears perk up as he listens for any sound other than his own breath and the beat of his quickening heart.

In the distance he hears crackling leaves and muffled squeals. Somewhere, 

someone was struggling to get away from something big, big and scary.

A lound thud sounds off followed by a shattering noise and a terrified scream.

"Noooo!!"

"Courtney," Chris whispers.

"Oh my God, there's someone out there. Lets get out of here." Brooke squeals scared.

"No," Chris grasps Brooke's arm, after all, if she stayed the others would too. "we have to find her." He says in a quaky voice.

The flashiligh shines brightly on Brooke's face. Her eyes are bobbing out and tears seem to be hidden behind them ready to jump out at any minute. She looks back at Chris's eyes.

The sound of someone running to them, twigs breaking, branches snapping and leaves falling.

"Chris! Someone's coming, let me go!" Brooke cries out. Tom and Sebastian are ready to run the other direction.

Chris turns from Brooke afraid to look. His breath is heavy, sweat rolls down his forehead and his whole body quivers.

Sebastian's breath becomes wheezy. He takes out an inhaler with a shaky hand 

and takes a deep breath.

"No!" Brooke screams shakily, "please."

Chris lights up the side of the forest from where the running noises are coming. His heart about to explode.

He sees between flashes a dark shape approaching him at an amazing speed. It collides with him.

"Ah! No get off!God!" Chris screams.

Brooke and Sebastian scream. Tom takes off running."Fuck everything, I'm out of here." He says in his mind and goes mute screaming.

Chris kicks and fights the dark figure. "Get off! What do you want! Leave me alone!"

Brooke and Sebastian try to run with Tom. Sebastian trips and falls to the floor. His dangling legs send Brooke to the floor as well.

"Get up! Let's go!"

Chris screams, "Wait for me! Get off!"

"Shut up!" Courtney's voice screams.

"Courtney?" Chris asks, he stops kicking her and shines the flashlight on her 

face.

"Stop, you're blinding me idiot." She grabs the flashlight from his hand. She sweeps the flashlight over Brooke and Sebastian.

Brooke's crying, her whole face's bright scarlet. Her hair's messy and sweat-stuck to her face.

Sebastian is breathing heavily and sucking at his inhaler like a leeche to a blood bag.

"Get up freaks! We've gotta get outta here." Courtney whispers running past them.

"Why? What's wrong?" Chris asks following her.

"There's somebody after me." Cortney says leading the way with Chris's flashling.

"Who?"

"I don't know, let's just get outta here. Now!" Courtney starts to run.

"Wait! Sebastian can't breathe." Brooke says kneeling next to Sebastian and shoving away an empty inhaler.

Courtney considers running away. Knowing that her consciense wouldn't let her get away with it, she stops, turns around, and goes over to Sebastian."Why can't you breathe? What's wrong with you?"

"He's got ashma." Brooke explains.

"Shit!" She curses grabbing Sebastian's arms and running it around her shoulders. "Hey rich boy, get over here and help me."

Chris grabs Sebastian's other arm and hangs it on his shoulder.

"I could just go get his inhaler and come back with it." Brooke offers.

"No, we have to get out of here right now, damn it!" Coutney insists.

"Who…?"

"Just move it!" Courtney says already dragging Sebastian's heavy body through the forest.

They all hear loud stomping behind them.

"Hurry!" Courtney screams, panic creeping in her voice.

Seing (or at least hearing) tough, always-in-control Courtney scared terrified Chris even more than the bear-worthy stomping he heard getting closer and closer.

Sebastian coughs, huffs and puffs. Brooke runs in front of Chris and Sebastian. She pushes the branches and twigs out of her way slamming them back on Courtney's and Chris's faces.

Courtney shoves the flashlight aside and takes hold of Sebastian's hand 

focusing hard on moving as fast as her scrawny body will allow her.

Chris's amazed by Courtney's strength. She was almost leaving him behind and he was constantly tripping on his feet. In fact, Coutney was almost dragging both of them through the forest by herself. She was probably terror-driven, whatever she had seen had scared her good.

"I can see the cabin." Chris says.

"Where?" Courtney asks.

"There! Don't you see it?"

"God, just keep running."

Courtney trips and falls yanking Sebastian's arm.

"Courtney?" Chris asks worried.

"I'm fine, Brooke take my place."

Brooke jumps over Courtney and slips under Sebastian's arm. Coutney gets up for a second. When you're running so hard, it's hard to start over after you stop.

She slams a hand to a tree and grasps her chest gasping for air. Her whole body feels drained, her lungs like they're about to explode and her face and arms sting and are soaked with blood.

With the last meek drops of energy left in her body, Courtney starts off running 

again. Her eyes catch a flutter of light, the cabin's some twenty feet away. She wonders if she's going to make it.

Brooke's a lousy paramedic. She keeps tripping and whatever branches she pushes away from her face go slamming forcefully to Sebastian's face.

He gasps and gags. Tears and sweat roll down his face, the only conscious part of his brain begs for safety, the cabin, and an inhaler.

"Were're almost there!" Chris announces eagerly.

"Hurry up!" Coutney presses. She can almost feel her persecutor's warm breath on her neck. A chill goes up her back despite the warm weather.

Chris reaches the door first. A wave of relief sweeps over him. "We made it."

"Get in!" Coutney screams. She runs over to the door and knocks on as if she was a wild horse kicking a stubborn trainer. "Let us in! let us in!"

Brooke joins in the screaming frenzy. "Help us! Let us in! hurry!"

Mrs. W hears the loud knocking and runs to the door. She pulls it open without thinking and a herd of kids explode in.

As soon as their scared-to-death butts get in, Courtney screams. "Close the door."

She slams it shut herself and walks as far away from it as she can. Then, she collapses on the floor and holds her chest.

"Kids are you alright?" Mrs. W asks.

"He needs his inhaler." Brooke gasps.

Mrs. Whitaker runs to the office and brings one out. "What happened?" She asks urgently handing it to Sebastian.

"We…, we were out looking for Courtney." Chris says, he takes a deep breath and continues. "Somebody was following her, so we ran back here."

Mrs. W turns to Courtney. "Who was following you?"

Courtney shakes her head. "I don't know, I was just walking and then a man jumped me." She puts her hand over her bloody slashed jeans. "He had a knife, he tried to kill me, said he would too but I got away."

Courtney looks around gasping. "Where's everybody else?"

Mrs. W grabs a walkie-talkie from her apron's pocket and punches a button with her thumb. "Brandon, honey?" She asks using Mr. W's first name. "honey where are you?" She looks up from the walkie-talkie and calmly commands. "Joseph, darling, call 911."

Joseph darts off to the office and punches 911. The first time in his life he ever punches that number.

To be honest, Chris's glad Mrs. W is the one to have stayed. Mr. Whitaker is a nice guy, but he would be freaking out so bad he wouldn't know what to do.

Mrs. Whitaker is a tall woman. She looks strong and warm at the same time, her mere her presence summons respect and order. One word from her could bring order to a no-parents-at-home-teen's party. She was the kind of leader you'd want in a situation like this.

Mrs. W smiles nervously and motions for Chris, Brooke, Sebastian and Courtney to go sit on the sofa.

"Laura, we got lost, I think we're somewhere on top of the Lake River. No signs of Adrian yet." Mr. Whitaker's voice comes out the walkie-talkie in Mrs. W's hand. "What did you…"

His voice is suddenly shut off. There's a noise like the walkie-talkie fell to the floor. A mortifyingly long time goes by and then the unmistakable sound of crackling leaves and twigs under a heavy foot.

"Brandon?" Mrs. W calls a hint of worry darkening her usually bright face.

More strange sounds come of the walkie-talkie.

"Brandon?" Mrs. W asks again.

"No Mr. Brandon here." A deep, raspy, manly voice answers.

Courtney's heartbeat quickens as she recognizes the voice on the other line. Whomever that is, it's the same person who stabbed her in the forest and robbed her of her most precious treasure, and he's got Mr. Whitaker now. The voice echoes in her head, she's heard that voice somewhere before tonight in the forest, she just doesn't know where.

REWIND….

….STOP...

PAUSE

Reviews please.


	5. Chapter 5

PLAY

FRIDAY MORNING -ADRIAN'S HOUSE

"That's right this man is very dangerous and unstable. We ask all viewers to call the police with any information of his whereabouts to 1-800-PLD-STOP immediately." The red-haired female newscast lady says.

"And remember that this man is wanted in three countries with charges murder, treason and theft. He is regarded as extremely violent and was last seen in the Greensboro and Winston-Salem area. We advice all residents in the Triad to watch out for this man."

The good-natured anchor says.

Adrian punches the _off _button. He stuffs his book bag with textbooks then heads to the bathroom for a handful of feminine pads and hides them deep in his book bag's inside pocket.

Ever since Adrianna Finch started to dress and act like a boy, this specific time of the month had always meant trouble.

It was already hard to hide her boobs and turn it into his flat chest tightening a bandage around it. She also had to stuff socks in her underwear and work out to seem stronger than she was. By when Adrianna turned thirteen, her mother left her complaining about Adrianna's boyish ways. Her father did not care what she did as long as she was happy so Adrianna continued to dress as a boy (and honestly, Adrianna believes her dad had always wanted a boy in the first place.)

She moved from Houston, TX, to Greensboro, NC, the year after her mother's departure. By then, she was a freshman in a High School where everybody thought she was a boy, and so she made everyone call her Adrian and refer to her as a him.

"Morning Carlos." Adrian says when he sees his best friend waiting on his bike at the curb.

"Hurry up man, we're gonna be late for school. I swear, sometimes you make me think you're a girl."

Adrian laughts at Carlos's joke hiding how much his comment truly hurts him. Hiding under a boy's skin in a girl's body had been fun at first, but as puberty hit and adolecence grew old, it got harder and harder to a point where Adrian had had to search psychiatric help. He had weekly appointments with Dr. Flint. Today afternoon, in fact, he has an appointment with her.

One thing Adrian likes about Dr. Flint is that with her he doesn't have to act like he is a she or she is a he. He can just be himself (which would actually be _herself_) and for an hour just talk about life as if he wasn't a freak stuck on it. Plus, he can tell her anything because there is a patient/doctor confidentiality pact. Outside the office, to Dr. Flint, Adrian becomes patient number two, zero, eight, seven.

His secret pretty little number. A number not treated as a he or she but just as what it is, a pretty little number.

Carlos's bike is brand new and light as a feather. Though Carlos owns a beauty of a car, he insists on him and Adrian biking to school because using the car for such short distance would be a waste of gas.

"So, meet any hot chicks lately?" Carlos asks.

Adrian breathes in the cool, fresh morning air. "Nope," He answers shortly deciding to avoid the topic altogether. Yes, he was attracted to girls. And yet he would not allow himself to look at any of them or ask any one out because he knows it isn't fair to them not to know his secret. The one he himself hasn't even come to terms with and the one that stops him from living his life fully and beaming a full watt smile. And it isn't as if he chose to live this way purposely. Life chose for him and he didn't have any say. Because Adrian knows he could move again, start over, tell everyone he's a girl. He as a she could meet a guy and marry him and have children and a job and bills, but the he'd just end up being the miserable fake person he'd always dreaded he'd someday become.

Adrian pushes his fears to the back of his brain deciding to lock them up until today afternoon when he'd be ready to spill them on Dr. Flint's lap and let her dangle with them.

At first Adrian had thought Carlos was stupid for wanting to bike to school when they could just ride together in Carlos's car. Now, he welcomed gratefully every morning's biking trip. It was refreshing and it felt good to move your body in ways other than walking from the refrigerator to the TV and back.

Adrian's eye caught sight of the _F. Hamilton high, home of the daredevils _sign that warranted their high school. He sighed already dreading to set foot on the gold and red halls of the school to another day of pretending that everything was okay and that he was just another _boy _living a normal life. How he wished the truth could just come out, but he knew it's deliverance could destroy him. And so he biked past the curbside sign and braked by the bicyble rack.

He places his bike's wheel on the holding tubes and laces a chain linking the bike to the red tubes. He locks it safely as he absently listens to Carlos talk about something his little brother did.

Adrian gets up and sees his friend laughing at some joke he just cracked. Adrian laughs too not really knowing what he's laughing about. Instead, he looks at Carlos and wonders, "Would he still be my friend if he really knew who I am?"

FRIDAY AFTERNOON -OUTDOORS CLUB MEETING

The school day's finally over and Adrian sits through a field-trip-orientation oriented meeting in the outdoors club's classroom.

"Thanks," He says when Brooke Davis hands him a recycled-paper green permission slip to a trip to Hightrails mountain.

Brooke moves on after giving him a sweet smile.

Adrian wonders, "Would she like me if I was a boy? Would I dare ask?"

"Remember my buckaroos, you've got to have these signed by next Monday at latest if you want to go to Hightrails with the group." Mr. Whitaker announces in a fake cowboy accent.

An overweight nervous-looking kid raises his hand and asks, "Would it be a problem if I go sir? I mean with my asthma and all."

Mr. Whitaker nods, "Absolutely Sebastian, just make sure you bring your medication with at least two extras and give me or my wife a full asthma 411 before Monday."

Mr. Whitaker cracks his knuckles, "Now, y'all know I'm real nervous 'bout this trip so don't y'all go playing jokes on me once we're up there or I ain't taking nobody up there no more. Do I make myself clear?"

The entire class room nods vigorously, but Mr. Whitaker isn't satisfied.

"It'd be mighty nice if I could get that aloud." Mr. Whitaker says in his well-known deep southern accent.

"Yes Mr. Whitaker,"

"Alrighty then, you are all dismissed and have a wonderful weekend."

Adrian walks out the classroom and into the boys' bathroom. He walks into one of the stalls past the urinals he can never use.

After he's done doing girl business, he washes his hands and hurries out not wanting to miss his appointment with Dr. Flint.

Carlos left long ago because Adrian told him he had to go grocery shopping after outdoors' club meeting.

Adrian walks out to the hall and finds Chris, Brooke, Tom and Sebastian are still in the school. He stays behind them feeling antisocial and bitter. He looked at Tom and Sebastian, both flirting with Brooke and she not noticing one thing. Chris looks tense and nervous.

When Brooke, Chris, and Sebastian have all crowded in Tom's car, Adrian feels it's safe to go out to the bicicle rack and get his bike.

Dr. Flint's office is far out of town so Adrian heads homeward hoping his father didn't forget to leave the car keys for him behind today.

Adrian makes a swift left and bikes harder to dodge a red car coming his way. He crosses to the other side of the street and past an exclusive condo site for the rich people in town. Adrian himself isn't rich though he is upper middle class. His father is a successful sports colummnist for a weekly magazine.

Adrian's white and blue house comes to sight. A leaf falls on his head and clings to his hair. Autumn's clearly on its merry way though it's still hot in the city.

Adrian arrives at home, lets his bike fall onto the green grass of his front yard and walks into his unlocked home.

He runs to the kitchen looking for any kind of snack to cushion his stomach till dinnertime arrives. He scans the kitchen searching for a grab-and-go snack when he sees a platter of cookies, the car keys and a white piece of paper with his father's neat handwritting on it.

_Don't forget you appointment with Dr. Flint today. Here's a quick snack for your elephant-sized stomach (just kidding). Take the car._

_Daddy_

Adrian smiles, his heart warmed by his father's gesture. No matter how hard life was, having someone on your side always made thorns look like cotton.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON -DR. FLINT'S OFFICE

"I wrote a poem about life, 'bout how I feet about it." Adrian tells Dr. Flint.

Doctor Flint takes the piece of paper from Adrian's sweaty hands and reads it.

_The kids run, a girl jumps_

_The bus starts and so they go_

_A flawless trip it seems to be_

_Until an unsure girl trips on her feet_

_She jumps off to abridge life_

_She jumps off scared of life_

_Guarding a dark secret_

_Everyone despises her_

_Everybody admires him_

_Everyone hates her_

_Everyone loves him_

_And yet_

_No one knows her_

_Her identity is his identity _

Dr. Flint smiles at Adrian's attempt at poetry. "Is this how you feel? You think everyone hates Adrianna and loves Adrian?"

"Well, mom left Adrianna."

"But that's _her _oppinion not everyone else's. Why would everyone hate Adrianna and love Adrian?"

"I don't know, you're supposed to figure it out for me and tell me."

"I can only help you figure it out, I can't do it for you Adrian." She digs a red pen into her chin and asks. "What does the bus represent? And who's the girl at the beginning? Is it you?"

"The bus represents, you know, life. The kids are my parents and they run from their families 'cause they eloped. The girl's me, when I was born."

"So you're saying you're parents married and had you. After that they thought life would be perfect, but it wasn't."

"Yeah basically, and then 'the girl jumps off a bridge to life' means how I changed from a girl to a boy to stop that life and start a new one. It's how I saw it."

"It says 'jumps to abridge life'"

"God, I messed up. It was midnight when I wrote it you know."

Dr. Flint takes note of that and changes it to _a bridge to life. _"Did you show this to anybody else."

"Yeah, I published it on an amateur poet's website."

If Adrian ever listened to a recording of one of his private chats with Dr. Flint he'd sound corny as hell, and he knew it.

"Do you receive feedback on your work from the website."

Adrian shrugs. "Sometimes kids write to you and tell you their opinions on your poem. Or sometimes the website manager asks you permission to use your poetry on other websites."

"What kinds of websites?"

"You know, sometimes when a poem refers to life and you can relate to it in a general way, they use it for fortune telling or hoscopes sites."

"That's an interesting insight into the fortune telling business."

"Oh I'm not saying _everybody _does it, just some websites. After all it is the internet, you can be named banana-fishnet there and they'll believe you. I mean it's the internet."

Dr. Flint smiles warmly and glances at her watch. "Well, Adrian, I'd love to know more about how my faith in the stars has just been crushed but I have an appointment with someone else right now."

Adrian gets up feeling better than he did when he came in. Being your real you with no fears for an hour, after all, left you refreshed enough to survive a week till the next appointment.

Dr. Flint hands Adrian a ripped piece of paper with a phone number on it. "Call me tonight if you need to talk some more,"

Adrian nods walking out of the room smiling. He's been seeing Dr. Flint for almost a year now, but she always hands him her phone number with a call-me-later-if-you-need-to offer every time their session was over. He steps into the waiting room and sees a familiar girl sitting in one of the pastel pink chairs.

She gets up and stares at him in the eye. He does the same. They're both thinking the same thing. Confidentiality cannot and will not be broken by Dr. Flint, one noisy classmate's mouth, however, can.

"I won't tell if you don't," Adrian says offering a hand.

Courtney Wright takes his hand and shakes it firmly. "My lips are sealed."

Adrian smiles and heads to the door. To be honest, he doesn't understand why everyone talks about Courtney like she was some kind of hungry lion. She's not so bad.

Adrian walks out the room wondering why Courtney was at Dr. Flint's office. He knows he will probably never find out, but it's still fun to wonder.

FRIDAY EVENING -ADRIAN'S HOUSE

Adrian hands his father a black ink pen as he tells what happened in Dr. Flint's office.

Red Finch takes the pen and makes a spiky scrabble on the _parent/guardian signature _line of Adrian's green permission slip.

"Are you sure you'll be fine with all those kids? Taking showers and all?"

Adrian nods, "Yeah dad, it'll be fine. It'll be fun."

Red Finch eyes his daughter. He's afraid she's trying to look at the plus side of things completety ignoring reality. Things could happen up there, there were just so many things you learnt from people by just living with them.

"Dad, not much can go wrong. It's just an innocent trip." He takes the green permission slip from his dad's big hands and winks. "In any case, you already signed the form so it doesn't matter."

"Alright, I'll trust you on this one, but don't take advantage of my trust son, I'm warning you."

Adrian grins widely hiding his true feelings from his father. The mere act of transforming from a girl to a boy in a daily basis gave Adrian a certain mastery in the art of masking emotions. He could convince anyone he was the happiest guy on earth on the outside while his insides wasted away into an endless pit of despair.

He didn't actually want to go to the trip because he thought it'd be fun. He had more in mind than that. He was going to check out his new home.

Adrian had read stories about people who lived by themselves in mountains. For a year now, he had studied survival skills and even joined his High School's outdoors club. He wanted to collect as much information as possible before graduation. Once that happened, he'd gather up his saved up allowence and summer job's money and buy himself a small property in the mountain and live there for as long as it took him to figure out life.

Right now, Adrian is a sophomore in high school. He listens to kids talk about how they'll move away and go to college. He's as excited as they are to fulfill his after-high school plans and yet he's not allowed to say one word to anybody. Not his classmates, not his friends, not Carlos, not Dr. Flint and certainly not his dad. Just another huge secret to hide, how wonderful.

SATURDAY MORNING -FIELDTRIP DEPARTURE DAY, IN THE BUS

"Did you bring chocolate?" Carlos asks Adrian. Carlos sits at the window side and Adrian on the hall side of the bus.

"Yeah, of course I did." He pats the front pocket of his suitcase. "It's right in here."

"Alright," Carlos says. One thing that makes Carlos and Adrain such good friends is their uncontainable love for smores. They compromised to collect as much of each ingredient as possible so that they wouldn't run out during the three days in the mountain.

Carlos glanced out the window and saw that they were arriving at the rich part of town. The bus came to a halt in front of a white-and-yellow house. The driver smiled and pressed a fat hand to the honk. The honk blasted off. A few seconds later the whole bus heard a little girl inside the house cry, "Earthquake!"

Then they saw Sebastian, Brooke, Tom and Chris rushing out of the house madly. The kids in the bus stared at the out-of-breath group as they hussled their way to the back seats.

After Mr. W said a comment about their savage manners, the bus started off again. Carlos stared out the window and Adrian flipped on his headphones. He turned up the volume to drown out annoying teenager conversations and let himself float away in the sound of his favourite hip hop band.

Next time Adrian opens his eyes, he's staring directly into Courtney Wright's face. She glares at him surprised he's going on the trip. He knows she's wondering is he has told anyone about their encounter in Dr. Flint's waiting room. He can't just blurt out, "Don't worry I haven't told anyone you're seeing a shrink." So he smiles to let her know he hasn't said a word about it. She smiles back for a second and then walks to her seat.

At first Adrian is surprised by her gesture and then remembers that she was in Dr. Flint's office just like him. Maybe she just acted all tough in the outside and was a normal girl with actual feeling in the inside, or else, why would she go to Dr. Flint's?

The bus marches on leaving a cloud of dust behind the dirt trail.

SATURDAY MORNING -IN THE BUS ON THE WAY

About an hour has gone by when Mr. Whitaker takes out his rooster and stands up in front of the bus. "I'm gonna check er'body's here, so say _Hooray _when I call your name."

"Adrian Finch,"

"Here,"

"Chris Halliwell,"

"Uh huh,"

"Sebastian Martin?"

"Hooray," Sebastian says sleepily.

"Brooke Davis,"

"Here,"

"James Toffey,"

"Hooray,"

"Lennox Toffey,"

"Here,"

"Thomas Vermont."

"You know I'm here,"

"Joseph White,"

"I'm here,"

"Courtney Wright,"

"Here,"

"Oh yeah," Mr. W smiles to his wife and they both look at the only sleeping member of the outdoors club. "And Mr. Carlos Rojas."

"Carlos? Are you here? Carlos!" He screams.

Carlos jumps up in his seat when Adrian elbows him hard in the ribs.

"Jesus," He says rubbing his eyes. He looks on Mr. W's expectant eyes and shrugs, "What?"

"I'm taking up row." Mr. W answers.

Carlos groans "Again? Mr. Whitaker, why do you keep checking? We're all in a bus, where would we go?" Carlos asks as Mr. Whitaker puts his checklist away.

Mr. Whitaker pulls a blue hankie from his Joe-the-explorer suit's pocket and wipes beads of nervous perspiration from his forehead. "Just making sure er-body's here."

"_Er-body _is here, so stop checking. You woke me up." Carlos says and cuddles on his pillow.

Adrian laughs silently, flips his earphones back on and decides to follow Carlos's example. Closing his eyelids, he allows him mind to float away from the conscious world.

SATURDAY LATE MORNING -IN ADRIAN AND CARLOS'S ROOM

Carlos and Adrian walk into their room and drop their bags.

"This is horrible," Carlos says as soon as he sees it.

"Are you sure we didn't walk into the janitor's room?"

Carlos shakes his head, "I'm afraid not, but hey, at least we have smores."

Adrian drops on his bed, "I guess that's good enough for me." And of course it is. After all, he didn't come here to have a good time. He came here to dip his toes in the cold puddle of wild living.

"Come on, we have to go down. Mr. W said he wanted to tell us something."

Adrian groans getting up. "Oh fine, but after that I do have plans to drop dead."

"More smores for me." Carlos says walking out.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

"Let's go for a wilderness walk." Adrian offers.

"But I wanna watch the movie." Carlos complains.

"You can watch that movie anytime, come on."

"Fine, but we better do some extreme hiking." Carlos says rubbing his hands together.

"No extreme hiking," Mrs. Whitaker screams from the kitchen. "and no bear hunting either."

"Fine, Jeez Mrs. W, you're like some kind of porta-mommy." Carlos says opening the door.

"Just doing my job." She yells back.

Carlos and Adrian shut the door behind them. A whiff of cool air rushes past them as soon as they get outside and Carlos feels glad he accepted to come out for a walk. It felt nice to breathe some fresh air every once in a while.

Adrian breaks off a branch from a tree and pokes a mushroom with it. "You think it's poisonous?"

"How should I know, do I look like Dora the Explorer?"

"Kind of," Adrian answers.

"Hey! I'm the one who brought the crackers and mashmellows remember?"

"Are you saying you wouldn't give me any?"

"I don't know, what do you guess?"

"I'm thinking this mushroom's not poisonous. It looks like the ones at the store."

"Would you let the mushroom be? Let go climb that tree."

Adrian sighs. "You're like a monkey, you know? Wanna climb everything you see."

"Beats the hell out of watching mushrooms grow." Carlos trots to the tree and hangs from a limb. He pushes his legs up and scrambles up the trunk with incredible monkeyness.

Adrian's still studying the mushroom when he hears footsteps. "Carlos?"

"What?" Carlos asks from one of the top branches of a humongous tree.

So the footsteps where obviously not made by monkey-Carlos. "Is there anyone out there?"

"There's a spider up here." Carlos answers getting back down. "But no humans, why?"

Adrian hears the footsteps walking away and then Carlos jumps down from the tree. "What's wrong?"

"I think I heard someone."

"You're probably just crazy. Wanna go up the tree? I could teach you how to climb if you don't know how."

"No, that's okay. I think I want to go back to the cabin now."

"But we just go here."

"Yeah, and now we're leaving."

Adrian walks diligently back to the cabin till he finally sees it in front of him. He sights relieved not able to shake the feeling that someone had been watching them while they were out. He sees Courtney open a window on the second floor and throw a bundle of flowers out. She sees him and Carlos, sneezes and closes the window. Her eyes and nose seemed red, had she been crying?

SATURDAY NIGHT -ADRIAN AND CARLOS'S ROOM

After a hearthy dinner and a funny movie, Adrian settles on his bed and pats his fully loaded belly. The whole house's quiet save for Brooke who seems to be pretty worked out about some flowers Courtney threw away. After a while the argument settles.

Carlos is sitting on his bed munching on a bag of buttery pop corn. After all they had eaten downstairs and being eleven o'clock already, Adrian wondered where all the food went. He got his anwer three minutes later when Carlos got up and walked to the bathroom. After a couple of minutes of unloading, Adrian heard the toilet flush and then Carlos came out spraying berry-scented mist into the air.

Carlos took off his T-shirt and jeans revealing a muscular body and a happy-faces pair of underwear. "Hope you don't mind." He says, his mouth full of pop corn.

Adrian dismisses Carlos's question with a wave of his hand. Still fully dressed, Adrian slips under the covers, pulls the cord of his lamp and falls asleep.

Carlos finishes the bag of pop corn and two cookies before doing the same.

SUNDAY MORNING -7:01 AM

"Good morning boys." Mr. W says merrily pushing Adrian and Carlos's door open. Neither of them answers.

Mr. W walks to the window and draws the curtains open. "I said, good moring boys." He repeats letting the light in.

Carlos and Adrian instinctively hide from the light under the covers.

"Get up boys, we're going fishing today. Aren't you excited?"

"It's seven _AM_!" Carlos complains.

"Am I going to have to go through the same argument with every one of you boys?" This was the third time someone tells him the time this morning.

"If you wake us at seven _AM _you will." Adrian says walking to the bathroom takings his suitase inside to go through his usual morning transformation routine with him.

"I'll sleep some more while he gets ready." Carlos says pulling the covers over his head. "But don't leave without me."

Next time Carlos wakes up his watch reads 7:30 and Adrian is just coming out the bathroom. "What'd you do? Drown?" Carlos asks secretly glad that Adrian took so long.

"Sort of," Adrian answers. "I'll be downstairs eating breakfast."

"Leave some for me." Carlos answers jumping out of bed and walking to the bathroom in a zombie manner.

"Oh please, the pig here's you not me." Adrian says remembering last night.

"Ha, ha Adrian, very funny."

PAUSE

As always, I want reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

PLAY

SUNDAY LATE-MORNING -AT THE BRIDGE LAKE RIVER

After leaving Courtney and Chris -AKA the nonswimers behind- the rest of the group walks upstream looking for a good fishing spot.

They find a puddle of stanked water where the current isn't so strong and decide for it. They gingerly cross, jumping over rocks, to the middle of it and then sit on one of the bigger rocks to begin an afternoon of waiting for a fish to bite.

Adrian looks to one side of the river and sees, hidden by thicket, a small cave. Not so small actually, big enough for someone to climb in a live in it. He thinks of the possibility of it as his home and toys with the idea in his mind.

Then he hears screaming and splashing. He stands up and sees Chris being dragged by the current of the Lake River and Courtney swimming toward him.

"Mr. W, Chris and Courtney are in trouble." He points out.

Mr. Whitaker gets up as well and sees what Adrian is seing.

"Oh Jesus, Oh no, I shouldn't have left them by themselves."

"Let's go help them." Carlos says snapping Mr. W back to earth. They all jump and run trying to get to them on time.

Carlos slips on a rock and falls to the river. He gets up and starts off running again. Adrian's in front of him almost out of breath. The bandage in Adrian's chest (the one that makes him manly and flat) is not allowing him to get enough air.

By when he gets to the scene, Adrian is breathless. Courtney is hanging on to a rock and he tries to pull her out, but he can't even breathe for himself. Luckly, Carlos arrives and pulls Courtney and Chris out.

"If I was a real man, I would have gotten her and Chris out." Adrian says to himself defeated and stepping away.

Courtney and Chris sit in the middle of a circle of concerned kids. Mr. W's saying how sorry he is and that he should have left a swimmer with them.

Lennox laughs, he looks at Courtney and says. "Um, I think you did Mr. W. She can obviously swim!"

Everyone's cheering Courtney about how she bravely saved Chris. Chris pats her shoulder and thanks her (she pushed him away as soon as he came in contact with her skin).

Adrian sits back in the shadows of the trees. Now more than ever, he wishes he could just get out of his life, just come to the mountain and live here forever.

He turns his head to look at the direction where he saw the cave. He makes a couple of mental notes to himself. The plan cristal-clear in his mind. Today, at night, he's coming back here to check out his new home. Screw high school, he was moving here now. He turned eighteen in just a couple of years anyways. He did feel deeply sorry for his father -everyone eventually left him- but he couldn't deal with life in a society that didn't accept him as he was.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON -BACK AT THE CABIN

"You know what sucks Mr. W?" Carlos asks.

Mr. Whitaker shrugs. "I don't know, that we don't have a pool?"

Carlos nods, "Well now that you mention it, yeah it does suck that we don't have a pool, but I was thinking of something else." Carlos says eying one of the piles of books in Mr. Whitaker's office.

"What?" Mr. Whitaker asks still feeling jumpy about what happened that afternoon. Chris could have drowned if it wasn't because Courtney was such a strong swimmer.

"That I had to wake up at 7:00 _AM _to go to a fishing trip, and all I got was a long walk, sweat, mosquito bites and yet _another _long walk.

"Actually, you woke up at 7:30." Adrian corrects toying with two of Mr. Whitaker's pens trying to balance one over the other.

"That's not the point!" Carlos waves his arms in frustration. "Why did we have to leave so early?"

"How did you expect us to stay after what happened?" Mr. W asks wiping his forehead.

"But nothing _did _happen."

"Well it could have. My lack of good leadership led us to an unfortunate accident. We were lucky Miss Wright could swim."

"Why did Courtney come anyways? She's not in the outdoors club?" Adrian asks.

"That is none of your business boys. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm busy trying to get my sanity back."

"You _have _a sanity?"

"Come on Carlos, see you later Mr. W." Adrian drags his friend out Mr. Whitaker's office and drops him off in the couch next to Joseph.

"Pop corn?" Joseph offers.

Carlos shrugs, "Sure,"

Adrian leaves them pig-out by themselves and walks up to his room. Mrs. Whitaker's in the kitchen cleaning up lunch's mess.

It's barely two in the afternoon. Courtney sits popping bubble gum bubbles as she reads a thick paperback. Brooke sits between Tom and Sebastian, the three of them stare blankly at the TV screen. The twins are probably up in their room comparing rocks for their collection. And Chris tries to make conversation to Courtney who seems to be trying to ignore him and yet not quite wanting him to go away.

Adrian climbs up the stairs and heads to his room. Though the entire city of Greensboro is going through a particularly hot autumn week, Adrian quivers as he steps into his room. It's absolutely empty, not that Adrian expected anything else, but lately he seemed to always be alone. It didn't feel right to get close to people and not letting them know who he really was. It was fake, and unfair, and a complete pain in the rear end, heck!, a complete pain in the _ass_.

Adrian flops on his bed and stares at the ceiling for a second. Today has been a bad day and it's barely two in the afternoon. What happened today at the Lake river was totally unexpected, like a kick in the gut. It caught Adrian completely off guard and yet it managed to hurt him so deeply.

_He _wanted to be the one to pull Courtney and Chris out the water, _he _wanted to be the hero. And why hadn't it happened that way? After all, he was the one to see them and the one to get there first. But no, Carlos stole away his glory.

Adrian couldn't even breathe. It all happened so fast. He ran and ran, he caught hold of Courtney's cold hands, he had her. And then, just like that, when it was time to act he couldn't even pull her arms because he couldn't breathe, because the stupid bandage around his chest wouldn't allow his chest to rise and fall. It just stayed stiff.

Adrian peeks under his T-shirt. He gets up and stares at his image in the bathroom mirror. He locks the door so that nobody will walk in on him. A soft "drip, drip" comes from under the sink and a crystalline puddle of water has formed on the cold white titles.

Adrian rolls a wad of paper and throws it over the puddle. He removes the water-soaked wad and tosses it in the trash can. Then, catching a second glimpse at his image in the mirror, Adrian takes off his shirt.

A black bandage wraps his upper torso. He fingers it gingerly, a warm tear rolls down his left cheek.

He grabs the bandage and pulls at it. He violently unrolls himself careful not to let out any frustrated screams.

When he's done, red nail trails run along his chest and two masses of fatty tissues protude out his otherwise flat chest. His breasts.

Rivers of tears run down Adrian's face and wind up in the floor. He pulls at his breasts hoping that they'll magically fall off and stop tormenting him everyday of his life but they only go scarlet and blood trickles down his chest.

Adrian's knees go weak and he falls to the floor crying. He covers his mouth with both hands in an attempt to amortiguate his cries.

_Boys don't cry._

A voice in his head says, but Adrian ignores it. If that's so then he doesn't want to be a boy, he doesn't want to be a girl. He just want to be nothing, to figure out who he is without exploding before he gets there.

Adrian abruptly stops crying knowing in his mind what he has to do. He has to go back to that cave, he has to be strong for a couple more weeks and then forget about society until he's ready to deal with it.

He takes off the rest of his clothes and switches on the shower. Stepping in to the spraying water under the showerhead, Adrian closes his eyes and relaxes his body, tonight he's going to meet the rest of his life.

SUNDAY LATE AFTERNOON -ADRIAN AND CARLOS'S ROOM

Adrian double checks he has everything he can possible need. A portable knife deep in his pocket, a flashlight at hand, paper and pen and a good sense of direction.

He walks out his room and checks his watch. It's five thirty-five, he spent almost two hours showering and then an hour getting ready. He walks carefully and gets to the stairs unnoticed. Avoiding the first creaky step, he checks for people.

Apparently, Mrs. W's making dinner now and Mr. Whitaker's still in his office. Courtney and Brooke are nowhere in sight, they're probably still in their rooms. 

Carlos, Joseph and Lennox are obviously watching a game since their eyes are glued to the TV screen. James must be upstairs.

Adrian walks down the steps grateful for the little wall that divides the living room from the dinning room. He swiftly moves unnoticed through the dining room and slips out the back door.

Once outside he runs as quietly as possible to the woods from where he plans to run to the front of the cabin and from there he'll get on the trail that leads to the Bridge Lake river and from there to the cave.

He has no trouble finding his way to the front. Though the trail would be much more confortable than being poked everywhere by a million sticks, Adrian stays in the woods afraid someone might see him from a window in the cabin. Now that he was out, getting caught would be a bad idea. Besides, he had planned this carefully. He left the lights in the bathroom on and the door closed, that way Carlos would think he's in the bathroom. He wouldn't, of course, wait forever but it would definetly win him some time and that's all he needed, just some time.

Once the cabin's well out of view, Adrian steps on to the trail. Walking through the forest definetly slowed him down. It's ten after six and he's not even halfway there. It doesnt matter, he still has some time though it's starting to get dark. He's got his flashlight for that he reminds himself clutching it's rubber handle assuringly.

The trail is a repetitive dirt path, nothing fancy, just a well-worn brown path with forest on both sides. The sky is turning pink and purple as the sun sets. Nightime bugs begin to come awake, crickets chirp their singsongs together and fireflies blink their lights.

Fireflies are conceited, Adrian thinks absent mindedly, they like to show off their 'nice-looking' asses so much, they even have lights on them. And to top that off, their butt-light is what they use to attract a potential mate.

He laughts at the idea of humans putting light bulbs on their butts to attrach a companion. Sometimes, it seemed, life was hard, some other times it was easy and some other times it was just plain silly.

Adrian finds a circular rock and kicks it to entertain himself. Before he knows it he's at the narrow passageway that leads to the Lake river. He glances at his watch but can hardly make out the dark figures so he punches the glow-in-the-dark button on the side of his watch and the numbers immediately come out in a glowing green screen.

7:45 the watch said and then the light blinked away. Adrian sighted and began to walk the narrow trail. Though it's dark, he doesn't want to switch on his flashlight (actually, Carlos's flashlight) just yet. He has no idea how much charge those batteries have and he wants to save as much possible so that he can explore the cave closely.

If you were careful, the narrow trail was easy to get through. Only someone as clumbsy as Chris could possible fall off. Adrian gets through in no time.

As soon as he's out the narrow trail, he can hear the Lake river flowing softly through the night. Frogs croak under the moonlit starry night.

Adrian walks a bit closer to the Lake river until he can finally see its wondrous beauty, once there he flips on the flashlight and begins to look around for the cave he saw this afternoon.

The night and the moonlight make the paradisiatic spot glow blue and seem almost magical. Adrian knows for sure he has made it to the same place they came to this same afternoon, but it looks different at night.

He tries to re-trace his steps, everything he had done this afternoon. So he walks upstream and then back down stream. He finds the big rock to which Courney held on to and steps back. His back is met by the tree under which he hid that afternoon.

Adrian smiles hopefully. He shines the flashlight in the direction where he saw the cave this afternoon. It's hard to make out at the night, but he's positive he sees it in the distance. Right now it's nothing but a fist-sized black hole. Distance, of course, makes it look smaller than it actually is, Adrian just hopes it'll be big enough for him to fit whole.

He studies the river deciding on which would be the best spot to cross. He remembers where Mr. W had taken them upstream and heads that way hoping to come across the rock-hop bridge he had crossed earlier today.

Though he does not find the same exact place where they crossed, he does see a place where the water's thinner and rocks stand out from it. Not wanting to waste any more time searching for an easier alternative, Adrian crosses right there.

He jumps onto the first rock. It's slimy and he almost slips, but is saved by the blessed balance his arms provide. More carefully this time, he extends his leg till his foot touches the next rock. This rock is almost round so he has to be extra careful. He closes his eyes and places both feet firmly on the rounded rock. He wishes he had taken off his hiking boths and walked on his bare feet feeling that they would give him a more steady trip through the rocks, but he knows there's nothing he can do about that anymore.

He's two rocks away from the other side of the river. He jumps over them with no major trouble since they are big and flat.

When Adrian finally makes it to the other side he's out of breath and sweating. The bandage around his chest giving him problems again. He hadn't dared leave the bathroom without it so he had it on as tightly as usual.

He walks downstream searching madly for the cave. His eyes finally stumble over it and he sighs relieved.

"Thank God," He whispers relieved.

He points the beam of light directly to it and strides along the forest. Kneeling and crawling and pushing and kicking, he gets to the cave.

The cave looks like a perfect place for Adrian. It's close to the river, it looks like it keeps the rain out and it looks like it could be made into a comfy place if you gave it a chance.

Adrian raises his wrist to check on his watch. "8:39," He shrugs. "not bad."

He notices that the front of the cave is heavy with footprints. The footprints mark big, almost gigantic, hiking shoes. Not Adrian's but somebody else's.

Adrian rubs his chin thoughtfully, "Huh, that's strange." He thinks out loud not remembering any of his classmates coming down here.

He walks closer to the cave, he's standing right in front of it when the flashlight goes off. "Oh no, not now, c'mon!" He pats the flashligh and claps it to his other hand. It comes back on.

"There you go. Good flashlight." He says hoping that's the first and last time it happens tonight.

Adrian aims the beam of light to the inside of the cave to see what's in store for him. He gasps.

SUNDAY NIGHT -AT THE CAVE

The cave is _not _deserted. In fact, it seems as if someone's been living here.

The water-dripping walls are lined with rifles, hunting knives, and rocket-shaped fireworks. A black mat is extended over the floor and a cushiony pillow lays on top.

On top of the pillow lay a Polaroid camera and a bundle of pictures.

Adrian checks that no one's coming and that no one's inside the cave. When he finds he's completely alone, he walks closer to the pillow and takes the pictures in his hand placing the flashlight tight in between his teeth.

"Sheee-it!" He says dropping the flashlight as he sees the pictures.

The thick pieces of plastic paper reveal images of the outdoors' club bus, Mr. and Mrs. Whitaker, the cabin, the kids, everybody and everything.

The was one picture of Courtney getting off the bus holding a duct tape sealed yellow cookie jar. A thick market arrow poited at it and said, "Money?" and another arrow pointing to Courtney's face. "Kill the bitch, dammed leg slasher!"

The other pictures were marked too. Mrs. Whitaker's bag, Tom's expensive suitcase, Mr. Whitaker's big hiking boots. And that wasn't even the worst part. All of the pictures were marked with hateful words like, "Die rich scum!"

Adrian gasped widely. He had just found a murderer's retreat and the next target were his friends. Adrian gets up alarmed, if the killer is not here he (or she) must be out there.

Adrian drops the pictures and picks up the flashlight. He thinks about arranging the pictures as he found them, but then decides that it won't make much difference if the killer kills the others. He scrambles to his feet screaming, "Holy shit!".

He runs and runs afraid he might be too late. He crosses the river and the narrow trail without even realizing it. The bandage in his chest doesn't allow him to breathe so he rips it off not caring what anybody'll say or think or even do. He has to get back and warn everybody about the danger or something horrible might happen. Before he knows it he's back on the trail. It must be about nine with some minutes when he hears a scream in a distance.

"Courtney!" He says recognizing her voice immediately and yet not seeing a trace of her. 'Oh no, am I too late?' his mind wonders as he runs desperately. He has to warn them, he has to save them, he just has to.

STOP…

…REWIND…

…PAUSE


	7. Chapter 7

LAST REWIND

PLAY

FRIDAY MORNING -COURTNEY'S TRAILER

"That's right this man is very dangerous and unstable. We ask all viewers to call the police with any information of his whereabouts to 1-800-PLD-STOP immediately." The red-haired female newscast lady says.

"And remember that this man is wanted in three countries with charges murder, treason, theft and rape. He is regarded as extremely violent and was last seen in the Greensboro and Winston-Salem area. We advice all residents in the Triad to watch out for this man."

The good-natured anchor says.

The TV screen goes black. Courtney Wright presses the off button. Her TV is so messed up it just goes off like that when it overheats. Sometimes if she punched it strong enough the image comes back for a couple more minutes before going off again, sometimes it doesn't work and she has to turn it off for about ten minutes until it has cooled off.

Right now it doesn't matter. She has to get to school anyways and if she doesn't hurry, the bus might leave her.

After a quick meal of peanut butter banana (a banana smeared with peanut butter.) Courtney flings her old book bag over one shoulder patting her stomach. She is hungry for more, but knows she has to leave the rest of the food for dinner.

Going to school on an empty stomach is always hard because even when she is lost in the magical world of Shakespeare for a couple of minutes during first period, the hunger in her stomach would always be there to remind Courtney of the life that waited for her once she got home.

A couple of years ago, she had always gone to school on an entirely empty stomach. There had been bananas and penut butter available for her to eat, but she preferred to leave them so that her little brother Jimmy could have them as a snack during snack time in his elementary.

He always complained that the other kids had something to eat while he had to ask them for food. Feeling bad for him, Courtney fixed it so that he could at least have a banana at snack time.

Jimmy was always telling Courtney how hungry he was, so she quit breakfast so that he could eat her portion of bananas. That was before Jimmy died.

Two years ago year, Jimmy had become ill. Aunt Anne, Courtney and Jimmy's legal guardian, refused to take him to the hospital afraid it'd cost too much. She didn't have enough money to care for Jimmy, but enough to get wasted almost every night.

Most of the nights, Courtney was getting calls from some bar downtown telling her to pick up her drunk Aunt.

Last night had been one of those nights. Courtney took a bus to _Carry's Mount Bar _to pick up her drunk aunt and then back on the bus. It was almost midnight by when she got home and wasn't even done with her homework.

Courtney had to pull an alnighter in order to finish. By two o'clock she was done, set the alarm clock and fell asleep dressed.

It was morning time now and Courtney walked down the dirt path toward the bus stop praying the bus would be a bit late today. She thinks of her aunt back at the tiny trailer they share. She is probably still asleep and will be late for work -if she even shows up at all- she'd probably get fired again and Courtney would have to spend hours finding her a new job.

Courtney arrives at the bus stop just in time. She gets on the bus and slumps onto the nearest empty seat. Though her eyelids are heavy and her mind's fuzzy from the lack of sleep, she takes out a French textbook and goes over the vocabulary words for today's test fighting back the urges to sleep.

FRIDAY NOON - SCHOOL CAFETERIA

It's lunchtime now and Courtney sits staring at her tray of food. A cold, hard pizza sits next to a round dome of mashed potatoes and a carton of lowfat chocolate milk. The food is utterly unappealing yet Courtney knows that it's the only meal she might have today so she shoves it into her mouth trying to chew without letting the food touch her tongue and gulping down milk to wash away the acrid taste of old pizza.

When the lunch bell rings, Courtney's stomach feels full and she can't get rid of the bad taste in her mouth even after rinsing it off at the water fountain.

She walks back to her room. Whiffs of other girl's perfume and guy's expensive cologne play around her nose as she squishes through them trying to get to class. She wonders how can she live in a world where kids pay hundreds of dollars for the luxury of a tiny bottle of perfume when she doesn't even have enough money to eat, or even to save her little brother's life.

Courtney sits through third period listening to her French teacher leturing them on how they'll be juniors next year and should start to be more responsible.

Courtney's not listening though, her mind's far away. She remembers the day her aunt finally decided to take Jimmy to the hospital.

Jimmy had been sick for weeks. He was weak and pale, the only reason why aunt Anne took him to the hospital was because he had passed out during dinner.

The ER doctor had said Jimmy was badly undernourished. It took a lot of begging, but he finally gave in and let Courtney see him in his hospital room.

Little Jimmy lay in a white hospital bed. His eyes closed, tubes and cables attached to his arms and body. He woke up to talk to Courtney a little before falling asleep again.

After hearing that Jimmy's problem was he didn't eat enough, Courtney thought if she brought him food he'd be okay.

The next day she went to school and packed her lunch in a plastic container so that she could take it to Jimmy. Right after school, she took the burger and jell-o to the Hospital. When she entered Jimmy's room she found it empty.

Confused, Courtney walked to a nurse and asked where the little boy called Jimmy was. The nurse frowned and called a doctor. The doctor directed her to his office and told her to have a sit. Courtney sat uneasily not able to stand the idea of being in a closed room alone with a man, but she let it go for Jimmy.

"I'm sorry to tell you this miss Wright, but you brother died. We tried everything we could, but we couldn't save him. If he had only come to us earlier… Blah, blah, blah."

Courtney broke down right there in front of him. The doctor said everything he could to console her, but nothing worked.

At last, he called the hospital's psych ward and they sent down Dr. Flint.

Dr. Flint took Courtney in her arms and asked if there was any family she could call.

Courtney shook her head knowing it was her Aunt's poker night and she'd probably be somewhere getting extremely drunk.

Dr. Flint felt sorry for Courtney and took her home. After seeing what Courtney was going through, Dr. Flint threatened to call child services, but Courtney begged her not to.

Afraid for Courtney's mental health, Dr. Flint didn't. Nevertheless, she had made a deal with Courtney. As long as Courtney kept up weekly appointments with Dr. Flint, Dr. Flint would not contact child services.

Which brings her to today, Courtney has an appointment with Dr. Flint today after school. She has to take two buses and walk almost a mile to get to her office, but it was well-worth the effort.

Dr. Flint is nice and not as noisy as you'd expect her to be. She listens and gives occasional advice without acting like she knows everything. Besides, going keeps Courtney out of foster care.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON -IN THE BUS

Courtney sits on the bus, her backpack on her lap and a transfer in her hand. The bus smells of cheap cologne and disinfectant.

A bum drools on his hand as he sleeps in the seat in front of Courtney. Courtney's mind wanders away to the last weeks visit to Dr. Flint.

"I guess you just never got a chance to say goodbye." Dr. Flint reasons.

"Well, Aunt Anne didn't let me go to the funeral. Because I had school. Can you believe that? What a bitch." Courtney says.

"Your brother was cremated, right?"

Courtney nods visualing the yellow jar where Jimmy's ashes are. It's placed over a mantle in a table in the living room of Courtney's aunt's trailer.

While drunk, Aunt Anne kept confusing Jimmy's ashes with a cookie jar. Tired of seeing her stupid Aunt dig her gnarled hands in her brother's rests, Courtney sealed the jar with duck tape.

"Ever thought of releasing his ashes?"

"How so?"

Dr. Flint leans back on her chair. "Well, sometimes when someone dies. Family members scatter the person's ashes in the deceased's favorite place. You know, like at the sea or the backyard or the woods…"

Courtney tilts her head to one side considering the idea. "I hadn't thought of that, but it's an interesting idea."

Dr. Flints smiles pleased at Courtney's interest. "Do you know of a place where Jimmy was happy? A place he specially liked?" she asks gazing into Courtney's eyes. Courtney's got a far away look on her face. Dr. Flint gives her time to reminisce.

Courtney's goes back five years in her life when she was eleven and Jimmy was four. They both lived with their parents and were in a camping trip at Hightrails Mountain park.

Mom and Dad were talking and acting all lovey so Courtney and Jimmy wandered off to the woods. They walked to the Bridge Lake river.

Jimmy smiled proud of their discovery and went back to show their parents what he had found.

Mom and Dad came hurriedly. Jimmy's excitement was contagious.

They dipped their feet in the water, swam in the lake-like pooled water upstream and ate berries. That was the best day ever.

Courtney felt tears sting her eyes. About a week after they got back home from that trip, Dad was shot at work. "Drunk teen shoots and kills police officer." The newspaper said the next day.

The drunk teen walked away unhurt while Courtney's father died. The boy was so rich, his parents paid his way out of jail and it didn't even stick to his record. To him, it was as if it had never happened, to Courtney it was the beginning of the end of her world.

After that her mom became too sad to take care of herself and was taken away to a mental facility. With no other family member to take care of them, Courtney and Jimmy were placed in Aunt Anne's house. Three years later, Jimmy died.

"Courtney?"

"The Bridge Lake river," Courtney says.

"Excuse me?"

"Jimmy's favorite place was the Bridge Lake river. That's where I saw him the happiest."

"Why don't you go up there? Scatter his ashes? It's time you say goodbye Courtney. Close that chapter of your life and start a new one. You can't expect to be happy otherwise."

Courtney chuckles sarcastically. "Yeah right, I'll just go up there in the weekend. Oh and I can take my jeep or my hummer."

Dr. Flint smiles tilting her head to one side. "If you could go, Courtney…" She leans forward on her desk. "Would you go?"

Courtney shrugs. "I guess, but I mean, it's not gonna happen. You know how it is for me."

Dr. Flint smiles and sits back. "If I arrange everything, will you promise to do it?"

"Do what?"

"Go up to the mountain and scatter Jimmy's ashes."

Courtney shrugs, "I guess,"

"Courtney would you?"

"Well Yeah,"

"You're really going to have to do it though. Don't promise now and then lie about it later."

"I never break a promise." Courtney growls.

Dr. Flint nods. "Okay then leave the details to me. You just be up it when it does happen."

Courtney sees the 'hey, I'm working here' billoboard sign in the side of the street and knows her stop's up next. She pulls at the yellow cord in the cealing and a female robotic voice says:

"Stop requested." The stop requested light blinks in front of the bus as it comes to a halt.

Courtney flings her backpack over one shoulder and walks out the bus. A brown leaf falls on her dark hair and she plucks it off.

The bus leaves and she's left alone in the deserted sidewalk.

Courtney waits till the little green cross-street stick figure blinks on the other side of the street. Once it does, she crosses it in a half trot. On the other side she walks a straight line nervously fingering the knife in her pocket.

Every time a man goes past her, shivers go up Courtney's spine. Ever since a guy raped her in a bathroom at the fast food joint where she worked, Courtney felt very uncomfortable around guys.

The twenty-something year old man pressed a knife to Courtney's neck and told her he'd kill her if she screamed or told.

That day, Courtney walked home feeling dirty. For a week after that, she puked in the bathroom everyday. Aunt Anne, afraid Courtney might die the way Jimmy had, sent Courtney to a hospital where Courtney was told she was pregnant. It had only been a week since Jimmy's death when Courtney had that abortion.

Aunt Anne went crazy. Her current boyfriend, Zed, beat Courtney unconscious and then Aunt Anne forced Courtney to have an abortion.

Zed and Aunt Anne broke up a little after that incident (They got together again year later.), but Aunt Anne never forgot how Courtney's news disgusted Zed and so she never ever allowed Courtney to get a job again.

Courtney told Dr. Flint about some of it. She didn't tell she had had an abortion though, she just told Dr. Flint a guy had _tried _to rape her.

Courtney smiled when she remembered how she slashed the guy's leg with his own knife. She didn't actually break his leg, but some rumors said she had. All she actually did was slash his leg with his knife and run for it (Courtney didn't like to admit it, not even to herself, but she knew the guy would have killed her otherwise.)

After that, Courtney seemed to have pushed the male side of the world under the _monster-in-the-closet _classification. She even shoved a tray full of mashed potatoes at a boy in her school's lunch line. The boy, Chris Halliwell had barely touched her but she somehow panicked and made him pay for it.

Though Courtney had felt sorry about it, she never apologized to Chris. It taugh him and other boys a lesson. Not that Courtney was a lesbian or anything, but for now, she wanted to keep them away.

A pigeon flies past Courtney almost making her jump. She sees the bulding where Dr. Flint works and walks toward it. The path clear as water (clean water) in her mind. Courtney's walked this streets countless times, and yet, every time always feels like the first. Wrong, scary, disorientantly confusing…

FRIDAY 5:00PM -DR. FLINT'S WAITING ROOM

Courtney arrives at the waiting room half an hour early. She sits on one of the pink chairs and flips through a magazine. She sees all the pretty girls in the magazine and wonders if they're as shallow as they look.

Yeah, they're thin and pretty and rich, but are they smart and healthy and intellectual as well? After all, they don't even pick their own clothes to wear.

Time flies by and before Courtney knows it, it's five thirty. She hears shuffle and movement inside Dr. Flint's office.

The door opens and Courtney looks up from her magazine. Walking out the door is wimpy Adrian Finch looking surprised to see Courtney there.

Courtney stares right into his eyes. For some reason, Adrian doesn't make her feel jumpy and unsafe like other guys do. She knows he's silently asking her with his glare not to tell anybody he was here.

Courtney looks for the right words to tell him his secret's safe with her, but he beats her to it.

"I won't tell if you don't." Adrian says.

"My lips are sealed." Courtney says getting up and walking to Dr. Flint's door leaving Adrian behind and willing to act as if she never saw him, not here at least.

FRIDAY LATE EVENING -AUNT ANNE'S TRAILER

"Where have you been you little brat?" Aunt Anne screams as soon as Courtney walks through the door of their trailer.

"School, Dr. Flint's,"

"You still going to that shrink?"

"Obviously,"

"Don't get all smart with me young lady." Aunt Anne says in a warning voice.

"Did you go to work today?"

"None of ya business!" Aunt Anne screams throwing a cup across the trailer and aiming it at Courtney.

Courtney expertly dodges the cup which falls to the floor and shatters. Courtney considers getting some newpaper and wrapping the broken pieces,but what for? Better wait till Aunt Anne's done destroying the trailer and _then _clean up.

"I'll get you a new job tomorrow. I have homework today." Courtney says walking wearily to the couch/ dinning table where she sleeps.

"I don't need _you _to get me a job. I can do it myself." Aunt Anne says filling a cup with rum and gobbling it down.

"Yeah right, you sound crazy even in a phone. Nobody in their right mind would hire you." Courtney says.

"Don't talk to me like that young lady. I am the one who took you and your snot-faced brother when nobody wanted you."

"Yeah and then you killed Jimmy."

"That's it! I'm don't have to deal with no misfit youths if I don't want to. Get out! Get out of my house you rude bitch!"

Courtney picks up her backpack and walks out the trailer. She can walk to the corner street lamp and do homework under it. Aunt Anne will probably pass out drunk in the couch and Courtney'll sneak back in when she does.

Courtney kicks a rock which results to be a frog and it jumps away scared. She screams surprised. Then, feeling stupid, she laughs loudly.

"Aunt Anne kick you out again, huh?" The neightbor, Mrs. Silas says sympathetically. Mrs. Silas is a retired teacher. She's very old and nice and makes wonderful chocolate chip cookies. Every once in a while, her daughter Joanne comes to visit.

Joanne's married to a lawyer named John. They're both nice people and sometimes invite Courtney to shopping trips. John usually wanders off to a hardware store eventually, but he does start the trip with them.

Despite Joanna's money, Mrs. Silas stays at the trailer park because that's the only home she's ever known and the one where her beloved husband died. She says there's something left of him there and it consoles her to be near him in that way.

Honestly, Courtney feels sorry for Joanna and John. They would be wonderful parents, but for some reason Joanna's just not able to conceive a baby.

Courtney shrugs. "She lost another job, I think."

Mrs. Silas laughs. "That's some Aunt you got there." she says shaking her head.

"Yeah well,"

"Wanna come in, I just made a fresh batch of cookies."

"I'd love to," Courtney walks to Mrs. Silas's trailer. Her trailer is the best one in the lot, it's big and pink personally decorated by Joanne. A homey scent of lavender and freshly baked cookies floats on the air making Courtney smiles and feel at home somehow.

Mrs. Silas is like Courtney's grandmother. She's there, she's cool, she's nice and she makes the best cookies ever.

MONDAY MORNING

Courtney walks to first period. Her black shoes clicking. The door to Mr. Whitaker's room is open as always. Kids hang around the door like bees to a spoon of honey.

She walks past them and enters the cool, crisp room. Immediately, Courtney knows they're going to have a substitute today. Mr. Whitaker likes to keep his room warm, honestly Courtney wonders how he survives North Carolina's long cold winter.

During the cold months of the year, Mr. Whitaker shows up at school looking like a Inuit with a red face and numb ears.

Courtney slumps on her seat as always and stares at the whiteboard. A couple of minutes later, Chris Halliwell is standing over her. He takes out a green sheet of paper and says.

"Mr. Whitaker asked me to give you this."

Courtney glares at Chris wondering if it's a joke of some kind. She notices Chris's glistening forehead, he's sweating so nervously it can't possibly be a prank. She takes the green sheet from his sweaty hand and reads it.

_Hightrails Mountain park fieldtrip_

That's just about enough for Courtney to know what this is. Apparently, Dr. Flint has pulled some strings. A fieldtrip to Hightrails in the next thing to perfect.

She'd ask Chris what he knows about this, but his confused expression tells her everything.

"Yeah, so…there you go." Chris says walking away.

"Halliwell," Courtney calls making Chris turn around.

"Yes," he says slowly.

Courtney looks at him through icy brown eyes, "Thanks." she says.

Chris's mouth drops like he's never heard a nice word come out of her mouth. Why does everybody think I'm gonna kill them? Courtney wonders. She sees Chris close his mouth.

"Sure," he mumbles and walks back to his seat.

Courtney smiles, Chris looks like a wrestler of some sort and yet he seemed to be afraid of her. _Cute _she thinks. If Chris wasn't a spoiled loser he wouldn't be so bad.

MONDAY LATE AFTERNOON -TRAILER PARK

Courtney sits on her trailer's steps eying the green permission slip Jerry gave her this morning. It's a warm Monday evening in October, Courtney can hear moms calling their children in for dinner all around her, the air smells musty from stanched water under the trailer.

The fieldtrip to Hightrails Mountain park is scheduled for this weekend. Next weekend will be a long one for Halloween. The trip will go from Saturday the 28th to Halloween on Monday. No _trick-or-treat_ing this year (not that there ever was one for Courtney or anybody she knew anymore.)

Aunt Anne, of course, wouldn't sign the form. Not that Courtney even bothered showing it to her. Instead, she scrabled a fake signature wondering how many more kids were doing just that.

After putting the green permission slip away, Courtney walks to Mrs. Silas's trailer and knocks on the door.

"Yes, yes coming." Mrs. Silas says opening the door.

"Can I use your phone?"

"Sure, sure child go on ahead." Mrs. Silas opens the door wider allowing Courtney in and motioning to the Pepto pink phone on a lacy table.

Courtney punches Dr. Flint's phone number. The great thing about her was that she made herself as available as possible to each of her patients.

The phone rings on the other line and Courtney waits for Dr. Flint to pick up.

"Hi, this is Dr. Flint. How may I help you?"

"It's patient number five, two, four, six, Courtney Wright," Courtney says. "A fieldtrip to Hightrails Mountain park?"

"Perfect isn't it," Dr. Flint answers giggling. "Brandon Whitaker owes me one too many favors. Don't worry about money or any of that, just be ready on the 28th, I believe?"

"Yeah it's on the 28th," Courtney affirms touched by Dr. Flint's extra effort to help her. "Dr. Flint?"

"Yes Courtney,"

Courtney swallows a lump taking a second to answer. "Thanks," she finally says.

Dr. Flint smiles. Her job might be hard or busy sometimes, but it was moments like this that she had started on this career for. "You're welcome sweetheart. Have fun and remember what you're going there for. I talked to Brandon and told him a bit about you, hope you don't mind, but he had to know what he was getting himself into."

"It's okay, see you when I get back from the trip?"

Dr. Flint giggles. "You bet, see you the Friday after next. Call me as soon as you get back though, I want to hear all about your trip."

"All right, and thanks again."

"Don't worry about it Courtney, I'm here for you, you hear me. And not just as you doctor but as a friend. Keep that in mind."

Dr. Flint hangs up. Courtney listens to the tone for two seconds and puts the receiver down.

"What's going on? Everything alright?" Mrs. Silas asks sipping on a cup of hot tea.

Courtney nods, "I'm going to Hightrails Mountain park next weekend."

"Really? That's too bad."

"Why?"

"Oh honey sorry, I didn't mean it's bad, it's a good thing just that Joanne was coming over this weekend and she wanted to see you. Said she and John have some surprise for you."

Courtney looks down at Mrs. Silas's fuzzy pink carpet. She wants to see Joanna and John too, they make her feel special and…wanted, loved almost.

Mrs. Silas senses Courtney's disappointment. "But don't worry your pretty little head off. I'm sure they can come back."

"I guess," Courtney sighs, puts on a fake smile and says, "Well, I've got to go find Aunt Anne a job."

"Find her a job? Don't you ever have any fun child?"

"Sometimes I poke fun at dorks in school if that's what you mean." Courtney jokes.

"Very funny, no seriously don't you want to watch some telly or bake cookies?"

Courtney smiles. "Don't you think I wouldn't, but if I don't get my insane Aunt a job soon, she'll be all over me after I get back next weekend. If she's home, she might notice I'm not there."

"You mean you're not going to tell her?"

Courtney laughs, "Am I going to tell her? Good one."

"Well, why not?"

"'cause I'm not stupid that's why. I seriously have to go now, thanks for letting me use your phone."

"Bye,"

"Later."

FRIDAY 27TH 2 MINUTES BEFORE DISMISSAL BELL

Mr. Whitaker was absent all week. At first Courtney though it was because he was sick and the trip would be cancelled after all. Nevertheless, Friday came with no word of cancellation.

Finally, during last period an announcement came on.

"Students going in the Outdoors club fieldtrip please be ready promptly at your arranged location for bus pick up. Have a wonderful long weeked and a happy and safe Halloween."

There was some whooping at the mention of the long weekend and then the bell rang.

Courtney moves down the crowded halls almost hypnotized by the routinary scholar cycle. Life was almost boring lately, maybe the trip would spice it up a bit, but Courtney doubted it.

She feels a bit sad there's no appointment with Dr. Flint today since she has one every Friday. Dr. Flint, however, said she wanted Courtney to get ready, sleep a lot and have fun the next day. The trip to Hightrails is tomorrow.

Courtney both dreads it and looks forward to it. Tomorrow she'll go back to the last place her family went to together to. The thought of their happiness and the memory of that day seem to mock her right now.

They had all smiled and eaten tuna sandwiches under the sun. Sometimes Courtney wanted just to go back in time and stop it in that day. Never go forwards, just stay there eating sandwiches, laughing at the same old jokes her dad told every time, skipping rocks in the river with Jimmy…

Going back will be hard, but Courtney knows she has to do it. To give herself some 'closure' according to Dr. Flint. And it does sound like a good idea.

Courtney sits on the cool leathery school bus bench. Her mind travels back to one particular day when she came home late from work two years ago when she was fourteen. The same day she lost her virginity.

Courtney ran out the fast-food restaurant as soon as she got away from the pervert in the bathroom whom she left screaming in pain.

She sat in a public bus crying and missed her stop. The sun had set long ago by when Courtney got home.

She opened the trailer to find Jimmy crying his eyes out and grasping one of Courtney's shirts. Aunt Anne and her boyfriend Zed screaming at each other in the kitchen area.

By then, seven-year-old Jimmy was already very sick and seeing him cry like that made Courtney think he was hurting.

"What's wrong?" She asked taking his tiny shoulders.

"You promised you'd never leave like mom and dad did! You promised!" Jimmy yelled.

"Jimmy I'm here. I didn't leave you."

Zed noticed Courtney's presence in the room and screamed. "Wherechu been you little bitch?"

"Work," Courtney answers resentfully while hugging Jimmy in her arms.

"Till 11 at night,"

"I missed the bus Zed, jeez."

"Don't '_jeez_' me bitch." He walks to Courtney and yanks her away from Jimmy. "C'mere bitch, I'll show you some responsibility."

"Lemme go idiot! What are you doing?" Courtney snapped back.

"This little shit here wouldn't shut up 'cause you were missing." He said pointing to Jimmy who cried even harder.

Zed beat Courtney till Aunt Anne told him to stop so they could go to _Carrie's Mount _bar and do some tequila shots.

Courtney washed her own blood in the bathroom sink. Luckily, Zed didn't get her face as bad as her legs and arms so it wouldn't be so hard to hide the bruises at school.

After that, Courtney tucked Jimmy in his little makeshift bed.

"Promise you'll never leave me." Jimmy said.

"I already made you this promise, I said 'yes' Jimmy."

"Okay then promise you'll never break a promise."

Courtney smiles, "Okay, I promise I'll never break a promise."

FRIDAY LATE EVENING -MRS. SILAS'S TRAILER

"I called Joanne and John and told them you wouldn't be here for their visit. They said it was okay and that they'd be back on Tuesday to see you and to deliver their surprise." Mrs. Silas giggles. "I'm telling you Courtney, those two are planning something. I can tell by the way Joanne kept giggling over the phone."

Courtney takes a sip of her milky cup of tea and then bites on one of Mrs. Silas's extra chunkie chocolate chip cookies. "They're coming from Raleigh twice in one week?"

Mrs. Silas shrugs. "What can I say, they really like you. You must have a lot of friends at school. How come you never talk about them?"

"Yeah," Courtney says tapping her nail on the rim of the white tea cup. "my friends."

"Yes, your friends."

"Ain't got any,"

"Why?"

Courtney looks away uneasily then turns back to Mrs. Silas with a cheesy fake smile. "This is a really good tea, what is it?"

Mrs. Silas frowns. She knows Courtney hates tea, she's not interested in her tea leaves, she just obviously wants to change the subject.

"It's chamomile,"

"Go figure, I love chamomile."

"Well, well you have that field trip tomorrow. Why don't you get a good night's sleep."

"You kicking me out Mrs. Silas."

"Oh no honey, not at all but…"

"Just kidding, see you on Tuesday?"

"Okay, come over as soon as you can, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

SATURDAY MORNING -TRAILER PARK

Courtney kicks a rock and sees a white bus materialize from the insides of a cloud of dust.

She hugs Jimmy's ashes to her body and flings her backback over one shoulder. The bus's door hiss open and she steps in.

Courtney's heels click as she walks. A wave of self conciousness washes over her, everyone has hiking boots but her. The bus's eyes turn to look at her and Courtney says. "What're you dopeheads looking at?" in the nastiest voice she can simulate.

As Courtney walks to the end of the bus where she sees an empty seat, she catches Adrian Finch sitting next to Carlos. He's got his earphones on and eyes closed but as she walks past him he opens them.

She stares at him and he stares back. Courtney almost asks if he's told with her eyes and as if reading her mind, Adrian smiles warmly. She smiles back knowing the answer and moves on.

By when Courtney reaches the last seat in the bus, they are already in their way out her street.

Chris and his little friends are looking at her funny and whispering a lot as they point at a wrinkly sheet of paper Brooke holds. Courtney chooses to ignore them and turns to look out the window, Jimmy hugged to her side and her book bag cushioned between her and the cold metal bus's wall.

Courtney's eyelids feel heavy, even though Mrs. Silas sent her to sleep at ten thirdy yesterday, she wasn't able to catch her sleep till well into the night. Her mind filled with thoughts, of Jimmy, of mom and dad, of Joanne and John, of the guy in the fast food restaurants bathroom, of everything.

SATURDAY MORNING -ALMOST THERE

Trees and street signs flash by the window as the Outdoors club's bus zooms down the freeway.

Courtney sees a brown sign announcing the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. She smiles remembering the time mom and dad took her and Jimmy to see the elephants and girafees. It was a hot, hot day. Honestly, Courtney didn't enjoy it one bit since some stupid kid puked on her. If it wasn't because her parents stopped her, Courtney would have broken all of that puny little kid's teeth. She still didn't understand why they wouldn't just let her do it. He was a little kid anyways, his teeth would grow back. And he puked on her!

She listens to Sebastian tell Brooke about his little sister, obviously trying to impress her by telling her about all the times he's been nice to her even if she's a pain.

His stupid boyish voice rings in Courtney's ears and makes her sick to her stomach. Why couldn't Brooke understand both Sebastian and Tom had a thing for her? Why couldn't she just choose between the idiots and make them shut up for once?

SATURDAY LATE MORNING -ARRIVAL

"Lookie out kids! We've made it." Mr. Whitaker says sweating disgustingly. Courtney's glad she's not the moist blue hankie he keeps in his pocket.

Mr. Whitaker is practically a nervous breakdown with legs and a thick southern accent. He sweats so much Courtney wonders how he hasn't died of dehydration by now. He took row _three _times during the bus ride for Christsake! Wasn't 'cause Carlos stopped him, Courtney thought, he would have done a head count every three minutes.

Mrs. Whitaker pushes Mr. Whitaker out the bus knowing he would leave the mountain without ever getting off if it was his choice.

"Come on kids, come on out." Mrs. Whitaker says merrily. Mr. Whitaker had explained he brought Mrs. Whitaker because since two girls were going he needed a female chaperone for them. Just in case of case.

Courtney didn't believe that for a second. It was a good excuse, but she knew Mrs. Whitaker came because she knew Mr. Whitaker would fall apart at the first sign of trouble.

Courtney steps off the bus holding Jimmy dearly. She hears something like a click and turns around. Did someone just take a picture?

She doesn't see any cameras or anything and just forgets about it.

Mrs. Whitaker slips a golden key out her purse and places in the doorknob. With one smooth turn of the key, the door opens to a cozy log cabin.

After short directions as to where the girls' side of the cabin is. Courtney hurries up the stairs to see the room where she'll be staying for the next couple of days.

Brooke walks behind her with two heavy suitcases complaining, grunting and silently begging for help.

Courtney sighs, she doesn't want to help Brooke. Why does she have to carry her house around everywhere anyways?

She steps back and grabs a corner of one of Brooke's bags and helps her get it up.

When they arrive at the top of the stairs, Courtney leaves Brooke to herself and walks into the fist room. Inside, she sees a cozy wood log room with two beds side by side next to the window, a bedside table with pink and blue lamps on the side of each bed, a TV with VCR and a cutesy bathroom in the corner.

Courtney steps onto the soft beige carpet of the room glad that she'll be staying in such a nice place for the entire weekend and drops her lightweight bag on one of the bouncy beds.

Courtney's uplifted mood is shot down by Brooke's whiny voice.

"_This _is where we're staying, where's the closet? No DVD? Where's the stereo? Don't they have a hair blower? What's this ugly carpet? Oh my God, is that the bed where I'm sleeping? It's so tiny!"

"Shut up! Would you like to sleep here, or should I just knock you unconscious and leave you for the bears?" Courtney snaps.

"Gee, you don't have to go psycho-ball on me. I paid highly for quality and I should get it, that's all I'm saying."

Courtney opens the drawer in her bedside table and carefully places Jimmy inside. "Touch that drawer and I'll kill you." She says stepping out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Brooke asks.

Courtney turns her head and puffs impatiently. "They're expecting us downstairs."

SATURDAY AFTERNOON -AFTER MR. W'S ORIENTATION TALK (OR RATHER 'COMPLAINS BOMB DROP')

After carefully inspecting the whole room, Courtney walks into her room's bathroom. It big and clean with white titles with daisies on them.

Brooke's obviously been trying to 'rich-'n-girly' it up a bit. Lavender candles lined up in front of the mirror and a base of light pink flowers in a blue cup from the kitchen adorned the far left corner.

Courtney sneezes. Her eyes feel itchy and teary.

"Ugh, what are those flowers?"

She sneezes again. Her nose and eyes go red and she can barely see through blurry tears.

Suspicious of the flowers, Courtney picks them up and sniffs one.

She sneezes again, twice this time.

"I'm allergic to these stupid flowers." She realizeds not saying it out loud. She plucks the flowers from the makeshift base, opens the bathroom door and walks to the window in the middle of her and Brooke's bed and opens the window. The wind rushes in catching Courtney totally off guard and leaving her hair messy and crazy.

"Au revoir," She says as she shoves the pastel pink flowers out the window.

She sees Adrian and Carlos walking back to the cabin. Adrian catches her looking and stares back. Courtney steps away from the window and goes back to the bathroom.

Once inside, Courtney doesn't bother lock the door. She just flips the lights on and lets the door close itself.

Courtney surveys the damage in front of the mirror. Her whole face is scarlet and her eyes a bit puffy. She looks like she's been crying, too proud to let anybody see her like this, Courtney plucks a tissue from a floral box under the mirror and pats her eyes with it willing to stay inside till her face looked more normal.

She sits in front of the toilet and patiently waits for the reddening to go away while twisting the tissue around in her hand.

Stumbling noises come from outside reaching Courtney's ears and before she can get up to lock the door, Brooke walks in.

"Na, na, na, na Ahh!"

"Get outta here!" Courtney yells angrily getting up and ready to jump on Brooke.

Brooke turns around quickly and trips on her own feet. "Sorry, I didn't know you where here."

"Well now you do so GET OUT!" Courtney screams again.

Brooke pulls her feet out of the way and Courtney slams the door shut.

Courtney is left in the cold bathroom breathing heavily with anger. Brooke is a very annoying girl, she decides. It's only a couple of days they have to live together, it's not like they'd become friends or anything, Courtney thinks relieved imagining herself dressing in fuzzy pink clothes like Brooke did. Ugh!


	8. Chapter 8

PLAY

SUNDAY EARLY MORNING -COURTNEY'S BED

His warm breath on her neck, the knife's cool blade on her cheek, his clammy skin against her, and a soft whisper in her ear, "Tell anyone and I'll kill you."

His face disorts and turns to Chris then Tom then Mr. Whitaker. The faces change and change to the face of every guy in Courtney's mind.

"Don't act like you don't want this when I know you do." The voice whispers and then laughs sickly.

Courtney jumps awake in her bed. She breathes heavily, her heart pumping. When she finally realizes she's safe in bed, Courtney calms down a bit, but the laughter of the evil man still echoes in her mind.

Courtney knows after this dream she's not going to fall asleep again so she just pushes the covers away and checks her watch, 5:15 it says. She glances over to Brooke's bed and sees the girl wearing a sleep mask over her eyes and snoring heavily.

She walks to the window feeling suffocated by the warm wet air in the room so she opens it to feel the crisp cool air of the mountain gush to her face.

It feels so good Courtney decides to just go outside instead of standing if front of an open window like some lovesick airhead. She checks if the ceiling looks strong enough to hold her.

It looks fine, besides if this ceiling isn't safe enough to hold her half-starved body it wouldn't be safe to be under either, and Mr. Whitaker would never allow for that to happen.

She swings her legs over the ledge of the window and leans back enough to slip her body out the window barely touching the window's frame with her nose.

The wood ceiling is slightly slanted, but safe enough to sit on. Courtney steadies herself holding on to the window. She sits leaning her back against the wall next to the window and sighs.

The sight is breathtaking. The cabins is located almost at the top of the mountain. The forest beneath spreads under her like a green carpet glowing blue with the soft light from the fading moon. Pink clouds float above her like cotton candy and the sky glows purple.

Courtney is reminded of a song by one of her favorites bands. The song plays itself in her head and she's able to forget about the nightmare that got her here in the firt place.

_In my field of paper flowers, and candy clouds of lullaby, I lay inside my head for hours, and watch my purple sky fly over me._

Courtney breathes in the fresh crisp air and fills her lungs with its goodness.

"Courtney!" Courtney hears her name being called. She takes a second to recognize the voice and to see if its coming from in or out her head.

"Courtney! Courtney!"

Someone's definetly calling her. She scrables to the window and hears Brooke squeal. "A bear!"

"No, no it's me. Shut up you bubbling idiot! You're gonna wake up the world." Courtney says in a fierce whisper as she peaks through the window.

"Courtney where are you?"

Courtney places a finger over her lips hoping to make Brooke shut up.

"Courtney? What are you doing out there?"

"Chilling." Courtney answers coolly.

"On the roof? In the middle of the night?"

"Beats the hell out of laying in a bed motionless for nine hours straight."

"You don't sleep?"

"Not for long enough to look as dead as you do. Did you know you snore?"

"I don't snore,"

Courtney snorts, "Trust me, yeah you do."

"Would you come back inside? You're making me really nervous."

"How?"

"You might fall and die." Brooke says stating what she and her friends are trying to avoid.

"Oh, what do you care."

"I'm your friend."

"Yeah why not." Courtney shrugs. Letting the girl call her a 'friend' is something she can get used to even though Brooke is quite annoying.

"So are you coming in?"

"No."

"Why?"

"'cause I don't wanna. Go back to bed and get your beauty sleep." Courtney turns away somehow dreading to go back in to the room as if the guy in her nightmare had really being there.

"But..."

"But what? Just Butt out." Courtney says not actually wanting to hurt Suzanne's feeling and yet wishing her away.

"No that's okay, I want to go out there with you too."

"You can't come out here."

"Why not?"

"'cause I don't want you here."

"Why not?"

"'cause you're annoying for Christsake."

"But I can't leave you out there by yourself. What if you fall and break your legs and there's no one there to help you."

"Oh please, that would only happen if your clumsy ass was with me." Courtney says knowing that it's true.

"Promise you'll be fine and I'll leave."

"Has anyone ever told you you're a pain, the biggest pain ever."

"Just promise."

"Fine, I promise." Courtney says exasperated.

"Cross you heart...?"

"And hope to die." Courtney finishes smiling at Brooke's childish choice of words.

SUNDAY MORNING -7:00AM

The sun is well set in the sky by when Courtney goes back into the room. Brooke's snoring loudly as she sleeps hugging a fuzzy pink bear. Is everything Brooke owns fuzzy and pink? Courtney wonders.

She shrugs and walks out of the room leaving the door wide open. When Courtney reaches the bottom of the stairs she hears the first signs of life for the day.

Mrs. Whitaker is banging pots in the kitchen as she struggles to get breakfast -for ten kids, her husband, and herself- ready.

Courtney walks to the kitchen, the heavy smell of butter, hotcakes, eggos and coffee drifting in the air and flirting with her nose.

"Would you like some help?" She asks a sweaty Mrs. Whitaker.

"Oh dear! You scared me." Mrs. Whitaker says grasping her chest. "You're the only kid up, can you believe that? We bring them to the mountain and they want to spend the day sleeping in their rooms."

Courtney smiles playing with a spoon and not knowing how to answer. She wanted to say that it was because they were a bunch of spoiled, know-nothing rich kids, but she doesn't want to seem rude in front of Mrs. Whitaker.

"Brandon's getting the boys, why don't you go up and get Brooke."

Courtney nods, "Alright,"

As she goes up, Courtney realizes how much good the morning's fresh air did to her. She feels alive and in a good mood. She reaches the top of the stair still playing with the spoon when an idea comes to mind. Why wake Brooke the boring way when she could give the annoying girl a good scare?

Courtney enters the room almost in her tip toes. She gets close to sleeping Brooke and giggles silently.

Courtney bangs the spoon on the wall, "Get up!" she screams to Brooke's ear.

"Aaahhh!" Brooke screams and Coutney laughs delighted. "Why'd you do that? you crazy bitch."

Courtney's still laughing pleased by Brooke's reaction. "Just for fun."

"Fun? you think it's fun for me to have a heart attack?"

"Naw, I just wanted to scare you, but good thinking, maybe next time."

"Why'd you wake me anyways? It's still early."

"Breakfast's ready, Mrs. Whitaker sent me to get you."

"Hey, you kept your promise." Brooke says remembering last night.

Courtney walks out of the room and mutters almost inaudibly remembering the promise she made Jimmy.

SUNDAY 7:30 -BREAKFAST

Courtney loads her plate with eggos somehow excited that for the first time since her parent's death she's eating something other than peanut butter banana for breakfast.

She walks out the kitchen to find Mr. Whitaker wanting to talk to her.

A chill goes up Courtney's back when she imagines walking into an empty room with Mr. Whitaker. Though the fresh air did help a lot, Courtney is still a bit shaken by last night's nightmare.

Mr. Whitaker senses her uneasiness, pats her shoulder and adds "That's okay, Mrs. Whitaker's waiting for us in my office."

Courtney's body relaxes a little though she's still nervous. Mr. Whitaker ushers her to his office and she walks seeing no other choice.

Once inside, Mr. Whitaker motions for Courtney to sit in a chair in front of his desk. Mrs. Whitaker walks over and sits next to her.

"You know you're here as a special request from Dr. Flint don't you?"

"Yeah, she told me."

"Good, that's good and I'm glad you're seeing her. She's a good person."

"Yeah, she is." Courtney says nibbling at an eggo with a fork, suddenly not hungry at all and feeling disgusted by the food on her plate.

"Listen, Dr. Flint told me what happened to you in... what you and..." He chuckles nervously. "I guess there's no easy way to say this." He shrugs looking at his wife and wiping his forehead with his trusted blue hankie. "About the guy who tried to rape you."

Courtney looks away feeling extremely uncomfortable. She somehow knew Dr. Flint told him, but him saying it out loud made her feel transparent and self conscious.

"Look what I'm trying to say here is that I want to help and that I'm not like that guy. If you ever need anything..."

Courtney gets up feeling as if the wall were closing in on her. "Thanks,"

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" Mrs. Whitaker asks warmly.

Courtney shakes her head, "No, I- I just need to go to the bathroom right now. Excuse me."

"Sure," Mr. Whitaker says feeling disappointed he didn't get anywhere with her. Maybe he should just let the mind digging to Dr. Flint and concentrate on surviving this trip.

Today's fishing trip comes to his mind and Mr. Whitaker gets sweaty all over again. He is supposed to handle ten hyper kids and take them to a river and make sure they don't drown and bring them back alive and... Holy Cow! What have I gotten myself into?! Mr. Whitaker thinks exasperated.

Mrs. Whitaker senses his apprehension and smiles. "Don't worry Brandon, it'll be alright. They're just kids you know."

Mr. Whitaker gobbles down his pancakes forgetting all about his napkins. He walks out his office moments later with honey dripping from his chin.

He sees Courtney sitting in a corner by herself and sighs. If there was a way to her Dr. Flint would find it, but it was still frustating to know why she was so messed up and yet have no idea as to how to help her.

SUNDAY LATE MORNING -WALKING TO THE BRIDGE LAKE RIVER

Courtney sees Chris slow down and come crashing directly to her. She panics but doesn't let it show on her expression. Why were Chris and his friend being so friendly to her anyway?

"Hey, Courtney. I heard you made friends with Brooke."

"Who?" Courtney asks wondering who 'Brooke' is.

"Brooke."

Courtney rolls her eyes, "Brooke who?"

Chris laughs, "You know, her." He points a stiff finger to Brooke. Courtney sighs, she had completely forgotten Brooke's name. Honestly, she never bothered memorize everybody's names, what for?

Courtney puffs and huffs. "Oh for Christsake, I just wanted her to shut up."

"That never works. Try punching her, it does the job for a couple of seconds...till she starts moaning that is."

"Maybe next time."

"So are you two having fun being the only two girls in the girls' dormitory?"

Are you two having fun being the only two girls in the girls' dormitory? What kind of lame chat-starter was that? "Are you having fun being the only idiot in the group?"

"Yeah kind of." Chris jokes.

"Look, if you go back to your friends. I'll consider not killing you in your sleep... or at least leave you for last." Courtney says. She really doesn't feel like being a bitch today, but Chriss presence is making her nervous.

"How about I go back to them and take you with me?"

"No deal."

"Fine, then I'm not leaving."

"Suit yourself."

They walk silently. Chris expecting an oral beating from Courtney and Courtney thinking about last night again. She could still feel the pervert's warm breath on her neck and a wave of vomit threatens to come out her tightly closed lips.

"Ever bungee jumped?" Chris asks interrupting her thoughts.

"Whatdaya want from me? First your little girlfriend won't leave me alone and now you? Can't we go back to our ignore-each-other relationship?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"To have you leave me alone."

"I just want to talk, be friends with you. You know, the works."

Courtney sighs, "Are you doing this because you think I'm into drugs and I could sell you some cheap? 'cause I don't know where you heard it but I'm not so you might as well knock it off." She says knocking out that possibility. She doesn't think with their money they'd be hanging with her for a quick fix, but it's a possibility.

"It's not that, Courtney, God."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know, I just thought I should try to make a move while we're in this mashed-potato-tray-free environment."

"It's not a rock free environment." Courtney mutters feeling mocked by Chris's comment. She really did not mean to shove the tray to him, it just happened.

Mr. W wipes his forehead with a blue hankie and warns. "Kids, be real careful now. This is a narrow trail." Mr. W says announcing the track of land ahead.

"Watch your step real closely now. Don't want to parent of yours suing me or the school."

"So I was thinking we could be friends. You know copy each other's homework, go to the mall, that kind of Ahhh!" Chris's foot slips and his leg hangs from the side of the mountain.

"Oh God, help me!"

Courtney grabs Chris's arm and yanks him up. In one swift motion, she has him back on track without even breaking a sweat. Carrying her drunk Aunt home from bars almost every week had paid off.

After that incident, Courtney walks ignoring Chris's comments or absent-mindedly answering his questions.

SUNDAY LATE MORNING -NON-SWIMMERS'S CLUB

Courtney jumps into the cold water after Chris. He's off in the middle of the lake drowning and screaming.

"They're just leeches rich boy, relax!"

Chris doesn't listen to her. He just screams and swallows gallons of water. Courtney gets to him, wraps her arm around his waist and drags him to shore.

She gets to a big rock and tries to pull herself out only succeeding in getting stuck there. By then, Adrian is already there reaching out to her.

Adrian grabs Courtney's hand, determination flashing in his eyes. He tries and tries to pull Courtney and Chris out, but is not able to.

Carlos comes and pushes Adrian out the way. Adrian falls without uttering a word, his eyes smoky and unbelieving.

Carlos's muscles tense up and he had Courtney and Chris out in not time.

Courtney sighs relieved. The strong water current was about to take away her best pair of underwear. Oh yeah, and Chris too.

Courtney and Chris are surrounded by the other kids and Mr. Whitaker. Courtney feels overwhelmed by the group of boys crowding over her so she chooses to look away and there she sees, sitting under a tree, Adrian. He looks as a little boy who has just been told that Santa Claus isn't real.

Courtney wonders what's up with him. He had been in Dr. Flint's office so he must have some kind of messed up life.

He looks normal though. Not like herself choosing to hide under a shell of tough attitude and nasty rumors.

SUNDAY LUNCHTIME -WALKING BACK TO THE CABIN

"I'm fine, really. Would you let go of my hand?" Chris asks Mr. Whitaker.

"Fine? Fine?" Mr. W scoffs. "Then how come you're bleeding? How come you almost died?"

"I didn't almost didn't almost die. Besides, Courtney was right there."

"But what if miss Wright hadn't lied? What if she really couldn't swim? What would you have done then? Huh?"

"God would have saved me."

"Don't you joke like that young man!"

"I wasn't joking."

"Just shut up and walk faster before you bleed out." Mr. Whitaker snaps angrily.

Courtney walks behind them listening to the whole conversation. What's the big deal? She wonders, it's not like anybody died or anything.

"By the way," Mr. Whitaker turns to Courtney. "thanks for saving Chris."

"I had to," Courtney says. "He was wearing a watch I was planning to steal."

Mr. Whitaker's eyes open wide. "You - you know stealing is not allowed and punished don't you?"

"I was just kidding, God!" Courtney says. Everyone but Mr. W laughed at her joke. Mr. W is usually a pretty funny guy himself though his sense of humor seems to have been crippled by the big scare he'd just had.

The group silently walks back to cabin.

Courtney's clothes and hair are still soaking wet as she walks and her black shoes make as sort of splashy sound with every step.

She collects her sleek hair with one hand and twists it into a thick tress and pushes it under her shirt. It's not some kind of fashion statement or anything just that if she leaves it to dry with the wind it'd get extremely tangled. Long hair is very high-maintenance, probably why tough girls wore their hair short or in a bun.

But not Courtney because she likes how she looks with long hair and because she isn't a tough girl. She just acts tough to look tough to scare away creeps. Does that make her tough?

By when the outdoors club got back to the cabin their stomachs were gurgling so bad they sounded like a gang of angry bears.

Mr. Whitaker finally lets go of Chris's hand and runs to the door when he sees the cabin.

"Laura! Bring the first aid kit from the kitchen!" He howlers making his wife jump.

Courtney walks the last couple of feet to the cabin as the afternoon's plans extend in front of her. Screw the itinerary, she's going to fill her belly with whatever food Mrs. W, take a hot shower and then collapse onto bed till the next day's morning light touched her eyes the next morning.

Then, the image of one thing flashes in her mind and her plans change, but only ever so slightly.

Instead of sleeping till morning light (which she wasn't actually going to do anyway), She'd have to scatter Jimmy's ashes. Now that she know the path there's no excuse to postpone it any longer.

Courtney sighs as she walks into the cabin's open door. Tonight is going to be a long, long night. At least she's right in that much.

SUNDAY NIGHT 9:00PM -BACK AT THE CABIN

Courtney walks out the cabin. Brooke right behind her nagging about curfew.

Courtney closes the door behind her, Brooke's voice fades away.

The woods look cold today, dangerous even. Courtney is thankful for the flashlight in her hand. Mrs. Whitaker had given it to her when Courtney told her about her plans while Mrs. Whitaker baked oatmeal cookies.

The flashlight stubbornly cuts its way through the dark moonlit night. Courtney walks the path to Bridge Lake River. Rocks and twigs crunch under her feet and crickets sing (or cry?) but otherwise, the forest is quiet.

Courtney walks anxiously, Jimmy's touch cuts through her backpack as it bounces on her back with every step. She cracks her fingers nervously at the thought of what she's about to do. Tonight, she'll rid herself of Jimmy's heavy burden. She'll scatter his ashes in the river and give up his memory. Not that she wanted to, but keeping his voice, his memory, his face and his ashes so close to her heart was like pointing a sharp knife to it.

It seemed cruel to push Jimmy out of her life, but life is for those who are alive as Dr. Flint often says. As painful as it is to accept, Jimmy is dead and nothing can change that now.

Courtney walks hurriedly for another ten minutes when she hears a breaking twig.

She turns to look for whatever made the noise. Courtney sweeps the forest around her with the flashlight's powerful beam. Nothing.

She turns around a bit shaky and keeps walking.

Another twigs breaks.

Courtney turns around again. Her long sleek hair slaps the side of her face as the wind whips by.

"Hello! Anyone there?"

No answer.

Courtney reaches in her bag's front pocket and takes out the knife. Though she's scared, she keeps walking.

Two twigs break.

"Knock it off, it's not funny!" Courtney screams nervously.

No answer.

Courtney gives another five steps and then she hears someone, somewhere running. There's definitely someone following her and now Courtney knows it.

She doesn't know what to do. Run and hide or stay and fight. It could be just one of the guys playing a joke on her.

"We have a curfew you know." Brooke's voice echoes in Courtney's head. Nobody could possibly be outside, Mrs. Whitaker wouldn't let them.

Courtney runs back in the direction of the cabin. Her heart pumping, her legs shaky.

"Who the fuck's following me? We're in a goddamm mountain for Christsake!" An angry voice asks in Courtney's head. Worst of all, the mound of courage Courtney had been saving up to say good bye to Jimmy was slowly being eaten away by her current fear. And now she is really beginning to panic.

The footsteps behind her sound heavy. Whomever is following Courtney is probably bear sized. "Get over here!" A slightly familiar voice screamed.

He is gaining over Courtney who tries to speed up, but fails. She breathes heavily, her mind half gone to give way to all the fear she feels.

"Get away freak!" Courtney screams back.

The man draws closer, he grabs Courtney's arm and yanks it off. Courtney looses her balance and slams the side of her face with a tree, her knife flies out her hand. She groans.

"Whatchu got in there lil' girl?"

"No! don't touch that, let it go bastard!"

The man laughs at her request, grabs her head with a huge hand, yanks her hair and sends her flying to the floor.

The man rips the pack open and finds the jar. Jimmy's jar. He takes it out delightfully chucking.

"What could it be? What could it be?" He asks waving the jar in Courtney's face.

"Give that back!" Courtney screams getting up.

The man casually kicks her in the chest. Courtney falls on her back not able to breathe, her lungs feel as if they were in a pressure chamber, completely squished out of air.

"Money, is it? Maybe jewelry? Ha, ha, ha."

"Give it to me!" Courtney tries again. She can't see his face in the dark, but he sees hers.

"Oh so it's you," He says pulling a knife out his jacket. He leans over and slashes Courtney's left tight.

"Ahh!" Courtney screams, pain shoots up her leg.

"Yeah, you like that bitch?" He eyes Jimmy's yellow jar. "If this is so precious to a whore like you," He raises it high. "then it should be destroyed. Ha, ha, ha." He laughs shoving it hard against a tree.

The jar shatters with a loud thump and the ashes are blown away by the wind.

"Noooo!!" Courtney screams.

The man laughs some more, "Now it's your turn lil' girl." He approaches her. Courtney grabs a handful of dirt and shoves it to his face.

It hits him right in the eyes and he covers them with both hands. Courtney kicks him hard between the legs and runs, runs back to the cabin.

The wind is blowing hard and her hair whips at her face fiercely. Courtney pushes it away with both hands feeling as scared as she had running out that fast food restaurant bathroom, only worse.

She runs and runs half out of her mind. Not a scream leaves her lips afraid to give her position away, but tears are about to escape her eyes. She just lost Jimmy again, and again she didn't get a chance to say good bye.

She pushes those thoughts to the back of her mind forcing herself to concentrate on staying alive.

She runs and runs and then suddenly stumbles on someone.

"Ah! No get off!God!" Chris's voice screams.

Brooke and Sebastian scream. Tom takes off running.

Chris kicks and fights. "Get off! What do you want! Leave me alone!"

"Get up! Let's go!" Courtney yells afraid she's losing precious time. If that guy, whomever he is, catches up to them. He isn't going to have any sweet pity, he'd give no second chances.

STOP...

...FAST FORWARD...

PLAY...

And now from were we left off...PAUSE

But do review. It feeds my soul


	9. Chapter 9

PLAY

SUNDAY NIGHT -BACK AT THE CABIN

Blood oozes down Courtney's leg. That voice in the other line, who was it. She knows voice from somewhere, but where?

"The police says they'll be here in thirty minutes," Joseph says. "They want to know exactly what's going on."

Mrs. Whitaker hands the walkie-talkie to Joseph and grabs the phone from his hand. "Hello, I'm one of the chaperones of the fieldtrip."

"Evening m'am, what is the situation?"

"My husband went to the woods looking for a missing kid, he took a group with him. I called him a couple of minutes ago and he answered, then someone took the walkie-talkie from him and minutes before that a group of students came running to the cabin." Mrs. Whitaker says in an attempt to untangle the situation.

"Is anyone hurt?"

Mrs. Whitaker's eyes travel to Courtney. Bruises are beginning to appear on her face and arms and blood drips down her pants.

"One of the girls yes and also another kid, he's asthmatic but I think he's okay now."

"Could I speak to the girl?" The policeman asks.

Mrs. Whitaker motions for Courtney to come. Courtney gets up and limps to Mrs. Whitaker grabbing the receiver in her bloody hand. "Hello?"

"What happened?" The cop asks. His voice sounds young and fresh and concerned.

"There's a man out there. He has a knife and he was following me. He said he would kill me."

"Did he hurt you?"

"He cut my leg but I'm fine."

"Do you know why he's after you?"

"No, I don't know, but he seemed to… know me."

"Do you know from where?"

"No,"

"Okay, we'll be right there. Stay in the cabin, don't go out for any reason." The line goes dead.

Courtney hands the phone to Mrs. Whitaker who places it back on top of Mr. Whitaker's desk.

"So what? What did he say? What do we do?" Joseph asks.

Courtney shrugs. "We wait," She limps back to the sofa and sits.

Mrs. Whitaker nods. "Alright, that's what we'll do. The police will come and take care of it."

"knock, knock, knock." Three knocks come from the door.

Everyone's eyes turn to the door. Nobody moves.

"Should I go get it?" Joseph asks.

"You think it's the police?" Brooke asks.

"It can't be, they can't _that _fast." Courtney's gaze is fixated on the heavy wood door.

Mrs. Whitaker walks to the door in slowed measured steps. She places both hands on the door and peeps through the peak hole.

The night is too dark and she can see nothing but a dark shape.

"Who's there?" She asks firmly.

Knock, knock, knock. Another three knocks.

"Brandon? Kids? Is that you?"

The person outside initiates a knocking frenzy. The door shakes and rambles as it tries to hold the attack.

Mrs. Whitaker jumps back. At least she's got her answer now. Whomever's out there, it's not Mr. Whitaker or the others.

"Kids, quick run out the back door!" Mrs. Whitaker whispers pushing them out the other way with her hands.

Sebastian sucks at his inhaler not yet relieved from the previous attack and already starting off on another one.

Brooke grabs Sebastian's arm and pulls him out with her. Chris, Joseph and Courtney are right behind them. Their hearts drumming hard against their chests, eyes wide open and quiet feet as they quickly move out.

"Try to stay together." Mrs. Whitaker says.

A loud bang tells them, the man is in. He apparently broke through the door. He must be really strong.

Brooke muffles a squeal with her hand.

"Hurry up!" Courtney whispers.

Brooke grabs the doorknob of the back door in the kitchen and twists it to the left.

"Come out, come out wherever you are." A raspy male voice says from the living room.

Brooke pulls the door open and a high pitched squeak cuts through the silence.

"Ah ha!" The man in the living room says.

"Out! Get out!" Mrs. Whitaker whispers fiercely.

The kids burst out the door and take off running. Mrs. Whitaker closes the door and runs behind them glad she brought flats instead of heels.

"Where do we go?" Brooke screams.

"Be quiet! He'll hear us." Courtney says in a soft voice.

"Run, find a good hiding place and stay there." Mrs. Whitaker urges as they enter a thick forest patch.

Chris's reminded of the times he played flashlight tag with his friends at night in the woods. The rush of running from the person who's _It, _hiding in the dark, palms sweaty as _It _roams around saying, "Come out, come out wherever you are."

There is one difference though, if you got found by _It _he or she would just take you to jail. If the man following them right now found them… well, they were basically dead meat. Dead, killed, roasted, burnt meat.

Chris wonders if the combined noise of his heavy breathing and pounding heart will give them away.

In his whole life, Chris's never had to run. Life waited on him not the other way around. His legs were giving out and though his mind pushed them to move they seemed to have a mind of their own.

Finally, one of Chris's clumsy legs gives out and he trips over his own feet. Chris falls to the floor breathing heavily. Painful hot fire burning his lungs. He grasps his own chest with one hand as if trying to massage his overworked heart which feels like it's about to burst.

Courtney runs back and takes Chris's arms in her hand. "Come on rich boy, don't give up now." She yanks him hard and almost drags him behind her. Once again, the muscles from her drunk-Aunt-carrying workout coming out to show their true value.

"Courtney I can't…"

"Shut up idiot, you're gonna get us killed."

"Over there!" Mrs. Whitaker points out a land depression under a thicket of trees and bushes. The perfect hiding place.

Brooke pulls Sebastian, they both jump to the hole and gasp. Courtney and Chris get next to them and Mrs. Whitaker sits up front.

For a minute they work hard on catching up to their breath. Their legs feel shaky and their body drained.

"The police won't find us if we're here." Joseph says.

"Yeah, but neither will the killer." Courtney answers. She tries to quiet down her gasps and listen for sounds from the forest.

They probably lost the man in the forest, but it won't take him long to figure out were they are.

"We have to go back to the cabin." She says.

Brooke looks at Courtney like she's crazy. "Are you mad? he'll find us there."

"He thinks we're in the forest. We can't stay here forever. Besides, if Mr. Whitaker and the others are okay, they'll eventually go back to the cabin too."

"What tells you he didn't kill them already?" Brooke asks in tears.

"He couldn't have," Courtney breathes hard. "he didn't have time. He was after us remember and we didn't see anyone on our way back to the cabin."

"But he _had _the walkie-talkie,"

"He had _that_, not _them._"

"How do you know that?"

"I don't, I'm just hoping to be right."

"She's right, we can't stay here." Mrs. Whitaker says taking Courtney's side.

"Sebastian can't run anymore, it'll kill him." Brooke whispers.

Sebastian sits with his back rested on a rock. He's breathing heavily holding his inhaler to his mouth. His eyes are closed and he seems to be in pain.

Brooke's right, Courtney realizes, they can't keep running like that. Not just Sebastian, but the others too.

"He needs a doctor." Mrs. Whitaker says worriedly.

Courtney eyes Sebastian's sweaty face through the dark night. The can't keep going with him like that, but if he stays here the killer will eventually find him and kill him and if he keeps going he dies.

Courtney bites her lower lip wishing she had her knife with her. "Anybody have a knife? Or any weapon?" She asks.

All heads shake. Courtney nods, I'll just do without it, she says to herself. She gets up dusting her butt.

"Where are you going?" Chris asks.

"I have to distract him," She says.

"Distract him? You're gonna get yourself killed!"Chris whisperes as hard as he can afraid to raise his voice and give away their position.

"And what do you suggest? We stay here waiting for him to come and kill us all?"

Chris sighs, "What's your plan?"

She shrugs, "I don't have a plan, I'm just gonna, you know, wing it."

"Wing it?"

"Wing it."

"Be serious!"

"I am being serious. If I don't do something he's going to kill us, don't you understand that?" She closes her eyes thinking for a second. "You guys stay here, I'll try to keep him away and get you help."

Chris's hands shake. He digs his fingernails deep in his clammy palm. "Courtney wait!" He says.

Courtney turns around, "What?"

"I'll go with you,"

"No you won't,"

"You can't stop me,"

Courtney rolls her eyes. She is willing to fight to death with the man, but now that Chris wants to come she'll have to be more careful. After all, she doesn't want to get him killed.

"Mrs. W, you still have that walkie-talkie?"

"I left it in the cabin," Mrs. Whitaker answers.

Courtney nods, "Okay, we should get that."

Mrs. Whitaker knows she can't just let two of her students go and try to fight a monster. "Get back here you two, I'm not about to let you do this."

"Mrs. Whitaker you really have no choice." Courtney answers.

"Yes I do, I'm you chaperone and I'm telling you to get back here!"

"Or what? You'll give me detention." Courtney answers already trotting away. Chris right behind her.

Chris takes every step carefully. He trots next to Courtney who looks focused and determinded, like a lioness protecting her cubs.

She suddenly stops and pulls Chris behind a tree. "There he is," She whispers pointing to a tall dark figure a couple of feet in front of them.

Chris stands flabbergasted and frozen by fear. The man's a monster. He's a 300 pounds man of pure muscle packed in a six feet five body.

Courtney bends over and picks a rock up. She shoves it as hard as she can in the direction opposite of where the Mrs. W and the others are. The rock falls on the ground with a soft thump.

The man jerks around. "I gotcha bitch," He whispers falling for Courtney's trick. He carefully lifts his heavy feet and walks to the rock.

"Good dog," Courtney whispers smiling pleased. She grabs Chris's arm, "come on."

Chris follows wondering if she's enjoying this. They walk hidden behind a curtain of trees. Tip toeing over the dead leaves and twigs.

The moon gives off enough light to see and yet not enough to give them away. The perfect amount to make the forest glow dark blue and eerie. The perfect setting for a horror movie.

The man looks around the bushes poking them with his huge hands. "Where are you little mouse?"

Courtney grabs a twig in her hands, "Prepare to run," She whispers in Chris's ear.

Before Chris can even react. Courtney breaks the twigs.

The man turns around immediately. Hands ready to choke, eyes bulging crazily, and mouth open in a wicked grin.

Courtney already has a rock in her hand and throws it right to his face. The man screams angrily and heads to them stumbling like a mad bull.

"Run!" Courtney commands.

She starts off in the direcion of the cabin. Her hand tight around Chris's arm. He runs after her wishing she wasn't so insane.

The man doesn't see them and runs wildly in the direction from where he hears the noises.

Somehow, Courtney picks up yet another rock and throws it right in front of them. She stops running yanking Chris's arms and pulling him behind a couple of thick bushes.

The rock falls where they would have been and the man runs up to there.

The whole forest goes quiet in a matter of seconds. The man trips and falls to the ground. He screams loudly.

Courtney cuts through the clearing behind the killer running to his right side to another set of lined-up trees. The man turns around when he hears the noises.

"I'm gonna kill you!" He screams.

Chris bites his tongue trying not to scream. Up till now he hadn't realized it, but they were in on some deep, deep shit.

A thunder goes off. It's about to rain. A blast of lighting lights up the forest for an instant and then rain starts pouring over them.

"Let's go," Courtney whispers urgently.

Chris runs behind her almost blinded by the heavy rainfall. The killer hears their footsteps and follows behind them.

Courtney sees him coming and shoves a rock at him. She misses.

Another flash of lightening goes off. The photographical instant of light allows the killer to see them.

"There you are!" He screams.

"Run!" Courtney yells pulling harder at Chris's arm.

"You're not getting away this time," The man screams when he's two feet from them.

He grabs Chris's arms and yanks him away. Courtney loses her grip on Chris and fall to the muddy ground.

"Let him go!" She screams.

The killer's got a strong grip on Chris neck. Chris coughts and tries to fight the man, but he isn't nearly as strong as him.

He pushes the man's shoulders in a desperate attempt to get him off.

Courtney jumps on the man's back and wraps her arms around his neck. "Let him go you idiot!"

"Get off me bitch!"

He lets go Chris's neck, grabs Courtney's arms trying to get her loose.

Courtney holds on tighter locking her fingers together.

"So that's how you gonna play lil' girl?" He backs up to a tree and crashes onto it.

The breath is puffed out of Courtney's lungs and she yelps. Her fingers loosen up.

The killer takes her by the arms and shoves her to the floor. "Hello little leg slasher," He says in a tarrying voice.

Chris is starting to get up. Coughing and trying to open up his constricted throat. He gasps but the air doesn't seem to come in. Instead, gallons of rain water go in his nose and mouth almost drowning him.

The man laughs, he bends over Courtney and presses a cool knife's blade against her cheek. He draws her closer with his other hand, his warm breath on Courtney's neck. He whispers, "I'm gonna kill you bitch,"

His words, the way he whispered, his breath, it all reminded Courtney of something and something clicks on her mind. Finally, a spark goes off in her head and she recognizes the voice. The man leaning over her right now is the same guy she had left bleeding in a fast food joint's bathroom years ago.

She gasps and water comes in to her mouth. "You're…," She struggles for words, "you're the pervert in the bathroom."

He laughs, "So you remember me. And I made you a promise."

"Get off me freak!" She punches him as hard as she can panicking and punching him like there was no tomorrow.

Chris comes to the rescue with a dead tree limb. He hits the back of the man's head as hard as he can.

He bellows angrily. "I'm gonna rip your eyes out bastard!"

"Run Courtney!" He screams. Courtney gets up from the muddy floor. Chris runs away as hard as he can. The killer follows him waving the knife.

He slashes Chris's arm, takes him by the hairs and knocks him over a tree.

Chris hits his forehead hard against the tree and feel his own blood mixing with the rain as it falls over his eyes.

The forest goes round and round. He feels dizzy and disoriented and he can't see a thing through the blood and rain.

The killer laughs, he turns back to Courtney. "I'll leave him for later, you get to go first."

Courtney backs away scared. Is Chris dead? She wonders. Her heart beats fast, rain washes over her aching body and into her mouth.

The killer laughs pleased by her fear. "Say your prayers," He raises the knife's blade. It's shiny blade flashes light in the dark night.

Courtney steps back. She stumbles over a twig and falls to the mud. The killer laughs, he aims the blade at her and throws himself on her.

Courtney rolls away from the knife. Her attempt to escape fails by a couple of inches and the sharp knife slashes her side. She screams painfully.

Another flash of lightening goes off in the sky. Through the dark night, Courtney sees a pair of shining eyes standing over the killer's back.

Chris is starting to come about, but he's still laying on the floor motionlessly. Courtney knows that, it's someone else up there. Whomever it is, he's holding a knife.

Another streak of lightening lights up the forest and Courtney sees who it is. It's Adrian.

He plunges the knife in the killers back. The killer screams in pain.

"Run!" Adrian commands to Courtney.

"Get Chris!" She says back.

Adrian turns to Chris. He grabs his arms and shoves him over his shoulder. Jerry groans but doesn't say anything.

The killer lays on the floor screaming. Courtney grabs a rock and hits him hard in the head.

"Come on, this way!" Adrian screams already running.

Courtney follows behind him wishing for the safety of the cabin. "The cabin's not that far away." Adrian screams in consolation to Courtney.

She nods tiredly and follows. Her whole body shaky, thriving with pain and wet with sticky blood and rain. It hurts all over. Her mind races barely processing all the pain she should really feel. Her heart beats so fast it's hard to know if it's even there and it hurts as hell as it beats holes through Courtney's chest.

True, her life has been no piece of cake, but Courtney's never felt this scared, tears of fear threaten to come out her eyes and mix with the cold rain.

The killer groans behind them and she doesn't dare to look back regretting that she didn't take the knife from him. Now he has two knives in his power and who knows what other kinds of weapons.

Courtney sights the cabin in front of her. Just a few more feet and she'd be safe inside. The police has not yet gotten there, Courtney notices disappointed. Her leg and side burn hotly as warm blood oozes down leaving a sticky trail behind.

Adrian pushes the back door open and walks to the living room. Once there he hauls Chriss limp body over the couch.

Courtney comes in through the back door and barricades it with chairs, a table, and even pots. Once she's done, she goes to the living room where the other door has already been barricaded with chairs and one of the large dining tables.

Chris lays moaning on the couch.

"Is he okay?" Courtney asks Adrian.

"Go get a wet cloth from the kitchen,"

Courtney runs to the kitchen and brings back a yellow Christmas kitchen rag soaked in cold water.

Adrian gently swabs the blood away with the rag. Courtney stands over them shaking nervously.

"When are the police getting here? They were supposed to be ages ago." She complains pacing the room.

Adrian looks to her. "I called them when I got here, they said rain might delay them a bit 'cause the usual road floods. It might be a while."

She nods, walks to a chair and rolls up into a ball.

"Courtney," Adrian says.

She looks up at him. "What?"

"You alright? You're bleeding."

Courtney hides her face in her legs again. "I'm fine, the cuts aren't deep." she lies.

Chris groans opening his eyes.

"Welcome back," Adrian says. "Where are the others?" He asks turning to Courtney.

Courtney jumps from her chair. "Oh my God! The others. I- I forgot they're still out there."

"Are they coming?"

"No, they can't. Sebastian's really sick. I'm supposed to be getting help."

"So what are we gonna do?"

Courtney sees the walkie-talkie from the corner of her eye. It's laying on top of a table right where Mrs. Whitaker left it.

A plan formulates in her brains like a light bulb coming on. "We're gonna lure him here." She says almost to herself.

"Here? He'll kill us."

"We have to Adrian, otherwise he's gonna roam around outside with the rest of the group, and they're defenseless."

Chris sits up on the couch holding the bloody Christmas rag to his forehead.

"What do you want to do?" Adrian asks Courtney.

Courtney bites her lower lip as the plan clarifies in her head. "Okay, we've got to figure out a way to trap him in one room and hold him off till the police comes."

"How are we going to do that? Bribe him with a chunk of cheese?"

Courtney nods. A faraway look on her eyes as she visualizes how it all falls together. The killer is big and muscular. She is petite, thin and agile. She can use that in her advantage.

Courtney thinks of all the places in the house and then the roof in front of her room comes to mind.

She could run to the room with the killer behind her and escape through the window. No way a huge guy like the killer would ever fit into that tiny window, it's perfect.

"Not with a chunk of cheese," She says to Adrian, "with me."

"What?"

"He wants to kill me,"

"Why?" Chris asks. "Why does he want to kill you? It's like he knows you and you know him."

Courtney looks away. "We just have some history, okay? It's nothing."

"It has to be something for you to mingle with a guy like that."

"We don't have time for this, it really doesn't make a difference right now. Are you guys with me?"

Adrian and Chris looks at each other and then back at Courtney. They nod.

"Okay, this is the plan. I am going to call him on the walkie-talkie and get him here. Once he comes I'll be in the cabin by myself and make him follow me up the stairs to my room. From there I'll run in first and he'll be after me.

"When we're both in, you guys bang pots on his head or something till he's kind of slap silly. Then you close the door and barricade it."

"What about you? Won't you be inside?"

"I can get out through the window while you guys are knocking him out."

"What tells you everything'll go that way?" Chris asks.

"Hope,"

"What if it doesn't,"

Courtney sighs, "Then just wing it guys, for once your rich mommy with her monkey servants isn't here to protect you so you have to do it for yourselves, get it? 'cause there's no other way around it."

She allows her face to crack a smile. "But if everything _doesn't _go well then we all have to promise each other something."

"What's that?" Chris asks.

She smiles more widely. "That we'll make sure the deceased one gets a nice obituary."

SUNDAY 10:01PM -AT THE BRIDGE LAKE RIVER

Mr. Whitaker sights the Lake river. "Oh, thank God. I know our way back from here."

"Yeah, just a lil' problem Mr. W. We haven't found Adrian yet." Lennox says.

Mr. Whitaker nods. "I know, and I don't think we will. Best thing right now is to go back to the cabin and check if he's there. If he's not then we call the police and let them handle this messy mess."

"You know, we could have just called Mrs. W and asked her if Adrian got back. Couldn't you just hold on to the lousy little thing? What good's a walkie-talkie if you're just gonna drop it?" Lennox again.

Mr. Whitaker sighs. "I've done told you that it slipped from my hands. It slipped as in 'by accident' it's not my fault."

Lennox huffs, "Then I guess we should go back. How long will that take?"

Mr. Whitaker shrugs, "'bout half an hour and a half if we really hurry."

"Let's go then," Carlos says leading the way with his flashlight.

They follow after him doing the late-to-class walk, not quite running but definetly not just walking.

SUNDAY 10:11 -AT THE CABIN

Courtey fumbles throught the kitchen's first aid kit. She takes out some bandages and wraps them around Chris's head. He's still bleeding but not as much.

Chris chooses a frying pan as his weapon and Adrian gets a knife. Courtney picks up a hammer in one hand and the walkie-talkie in the other.

"Ready?" She asks both boys, they nod.

"Take your places then." She says. The boys take off to Brooke and Courtney's room.

Courtney grabs the walkie-talkie and punches the button on the side. Static and then the killer's raspy voice answers. "Hello?"

"Hi," Courtney says wishing she had prepared some kind of dialongue.

"Who's there?"

"It's me, or don't you recognize my voice?"

"Oh, little miss leg-slasher, slashed anyone lately bitch?!"

"Yeah, you."

"I'm gonna kill you as soon as I find you, you hear me! I'm gonna kill you!"

"Oh yeah? I've heard that loads of times before and yet… I'm still alive. Still living my merry little life. And you can't get me now 'cause I'm safe in the cabin." Courtney says and immediately regrets it. She had been so obvious.

Courtney trips over her tongue trying to fix her mistake, "I - I mean safe at the cave in the - the forest." she cracks her knuckles nervously wondering if it worked.

The voice on the other line goes quiet and she can't hear anything. Courtney puts the walkie-talkie down hoping that he went quiet because he's on his way, that or he was eaten by a huge hungry bear. The second option seemed too perfect and unreal so Courtney decides to prepare for the first one. A live face-to-face confrontation with Frankenstein.

Chris...

PAUSE


	10. Discomplainer question

(sighs heavely)

Okay, so my dear friend seenoevil... person pointed out that the story should go around Chris since its supposed to be a Charmed fanfic and that is shows no signs of Chris Halliwell being in fact more than just another mortal person and that the story goes more around OCs as he/she called them. So just for a show of hands does anybody else want the story to change for the Charm_er?_

If not Ill just keep going the mortal way and I would appreciate no more complains if you didnt speak here.

So review _AYE _if you think I should change it

And review _GEORGE _if its fine or you dont care.

hope that settles the matter and thanks to all the good reviewers.


	11. Chapter 11

George it is. So here we go!

PLAY

Courtney stands alone in the middle of the cabin's quiet living room. The silence is so loud it's deafening. Her legs and and arms feel shaky and the skin around her wounds feels numb and drained.

Though Courtney tries to keep her mind christal clear and focused memories slip from under the cracks of her safe doors. This time, her mind travels back to that awful moment in the bathroom and then fast forwards to right this moment.

Pictures flash in front of her eyes with painful memories of how everything went downhill from that moment on. Images of Jimmy crying, Jimmy dying, morning gaggings, Zed's angry face, Jimmy's yellow jar shattered by a tree…

The images enrage Courtney and she feels a fresh blast of energy and hate rush from her heart and spread to her whole body. That man out there broke her already fragile life, now she is going to make him pay for it.

A breaking twig announces the killer's arrival. Courtney's grip around the hammer tightens. Her hand tickles excited to shatter the killer's skull just like he shattered Jimmy's jar.

The sounds comes from the front door telling Courtney where to expect him. She steps toward the stairs ready to run up. He knocks on the door.

_Why do you knock idiot? _Courtney asks in her mind wondering why he didn't just break throught the door like he'd done before.

He knocks again.

_Just come in damn it!_

He pushes the door probably slamming his body against it. The door doesn't open.

He pushes again, and again and again and again.

_It's just a door, how hard can it be? _Courtney wonders in her mind. Did Adrian's stab weaken him _that _much?

The door finally breaks open and Courtney prepares.

"Hello," A confused voice calls out.

Courtney looks at the person who just came in. It's Tom.

She puts the hammer down. "Tom? What are you doing here?"

Tom looks dirty and his face and arms are scratched and bloody. "I was out with the guys looking for you. And I - I got lost. Where's everybody?"

A loud breaking noise blasts from the back door. Now, _that's _the killer.

"Quick! Hide!" Courtney pushes Tom under the stairs and positions herself in front of them.

"You!" The killer screams. One of his eyes blackened by the rock Courtney threw in his face. She studies him under the flourescent light and for the first time really sees him.

He's a scary man to say the least. His eyes bulge out; his whole face is overfilled with thick, about-to-burst veins; his arms are huge and muscular-looking and his whole body (in the possible parts that is) looks black with thick carpets of curly hair matted with mud and blood.

This man truly is a monster.

"Come and get me." Courtney defies. She runs up the stairs hoping to be quicker than him.

The heavy killer stumbles to the stairs breaking one of them with his heavy foot. He stumbles up and jumps. His full height enables his hand to catch up with Courtney though she is already in the middle of the stairs.

He grabs her ankle hard and yanks her down.

Courtney falls elbows first and cries out. The killer pulls her down, Courtney holds on to the rail. She kicks his face with the other foot and screams.

"Lemme go!"

He grabs her other foot with his free hand and pulls hard.

Courtney feels like her legs are going to be ripped off her body. She hangs to the rail determinedly.

The killer takes out his sharp, blood-stained knife and stabs Courtney's legs.

She screams. Tom comes out from under the stairs getting ready to run away. Courtney begs him for help, but he tells her to go to hell.

"I'm calling the cops!" Tom screams.

The killer sees him getting away, grabs him by the back and throws him to the floor with incredible strength.

Tom falls head-first on a table. His head cracks open and he lays motionless on the floor.

Courtney kicks the killer hard and runs up the rest of the stairs. She runs to her room and trips on the carpet. Scrambling to her feet, she drags her body the last couple of inches to Brooke's bed.

The killer's right behind her waving his knife in the air. Hungry for blood.

Courtney sits between the two beds dizzy by the loss of blood. The killer sees her and smiles.

"I got ya now bitch!" He screams raising his knife high above his head with a wicked grin cutting across his devilish face.

Chris comes out from behind the door and slams his frying pan in the back of the killer's head.

Adrian comes with the knife and shoves it into the killer's stomach. He pulls it out immediately making a sickening sucking sound and blood splats out.

The killer kicks both Adrian and Chris. He slams his huge feet into their chests and screams. "You rats!"

He scrambles to his feet enraged, picks up one of the bedside tables and heaves it violently on the floor missing Chris by an inch.

Desperate, Chris throws the frying pan to the killer. He waves his muscular arms, the frying pan collides with the wall and falls to the floor.

He runs to Chris, his hands out to choke him and ready to break his neck. The killer's eyes shiny red and crimson drops ooze down his forehead.

Chris's frozen by fear, he doesn't move, he doesn't scream, he doesn't even blink.

Adrian sees Chris's predicament and puts his leg out. The killer stumbles on it and falls to the floor in front of Chris.

"Run! Let's get out of here!" He says to Courtney and Chris.

Courtney feels disconnected with her body as her mind slowly drifts away. She forces her aching legs to move and gets up with the help of the wall and holding on to the window's rim.

Chris runs to Courtney and drags her out. She follows weakly.The killer gets up screaming.

"Let's go out the window." Courtney says.

Adrian slips out the door, slams it loudly and barricades it on the other side with a doorstop, bedside tables and a broomstick.

Courtney pulls up the window and slides out swiftly. Chris follows her, but the killer catches up to him, grabs his ankle and pulls at it.

Chris screams scared. Courtney, hanging on to the ceiling, takes his arms and pulls hard.

"Ah! Come on let go!" She begs the killer.

The killer smiles knowing what will happen if he does let go. "Okay," He says and laughs loudly.

Neither Chris nor Courtney were expecting him to let go so easily. The force with which Courtney and Chris were fighting him blew up on them and sent Chris flying to the edge of the roof. Courtney falls with her legs extended and tries to pull Chris back up, but they are both soaked with rain.

The water makes their hands slick, Chris's hands slip out of Courtney's and he falls from the two story cabin.

His back hits the ground with a thump and he feels a sharp pain in the back of his head. He hears Courtney screaming and a distant siren. Chris tries with all the will left in his body to stay conscious. That's the last awake thought in his head and then everything blacks out.

SUNDAY 11:16 -ON THE WAY TO THE CABIN

"Do you hear that?" Carlos asks noticing the blasting sirens.

Mr. Whitaker frowns. "That means they haven't found Adrian yet. They called the police already."

The rain begins to fade away slowly. "We needed the help anyways. I hope they brought umbrellas and flashlights." Lennox says.

Mr. Whitaker picks up the pace. "Hurry up kids," He says starting to trot.

The boys start off running too and they all end up running to the cabin splashing through puddles of muddy water.

"That's a lot of cops." Carlos says wondering where Adrian went and how he got so lost.

One of the cops sees them approaching and walks to them pointing a flashlight to their faces. "You're the search party I pressume."

Mr. Whitaker sighs. "Yes, I suppose we are. One of our kids got lost. Oh, I guess my wife told you all about it."

The officer smiles sadly. "I haven't spoken to your wife yet. Courtney Wright went to get her and a small group of students in the forest."

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"Mr. Whitaker, I'm afraid that more than a dissapearance happened here."

Carlos's eyebrows draw close together. "What are you saying?"

"Oh honey, there you are!" Mrs. Whitaker screams and comes running to Mr. Whitaker's arms. He hugs her kissing her head and asking. "What happened here Laura?"

She looks up to his eyes, "Oh Brandon, there was a murderer out there. He tried to kill us." She hugs him tighly. "Courtey, Chris, and Adrian saved us."

"Adrian? he came back?" Carlos asks.

Mrs. Whitaker nods wiping tears with her hands. "I suppose he did, I wasn't here when it all happened."

Adrian is talking to a young cop who takes notes on a pad. Courtney sits on the back of an ambulance, a paramedic checks over her leg, Chris lays on a gurney weakly talking to one of the paramedics, a plastic mask covering his nose and mouth.

Carlos, Lennox, James and the Whitakers run to them. The rain has stopped now.

"We're waiting for the helicopters to airlift them to the hospital." A cop explains.

Sebastian breathes from a strange tube and Brooke pats his back with her hand. Joseph sees them and smiles, "Some search party you are, you missed out on everything." He says.

"What happened?" Lennox asks.

"Oh man I don't even know. I think there was a murderer trying to kill us all." He shakes his head. "That Courtney girl right there is one insane chick. She, Chris and Adrian trapped the monster in a room and then jumped out the window."

"A murderer?"

"Yeah man, a real life one. The cops shot him with tranquilizers and brought him out in a gurney. Man! He was _huge._"

Carlos walks over to Courtney, the paremedic is bandaging her leg and her jeans are ripped out and bloody as is the rest of her.

"So you're a hero." He says unbelievingly and expecting a rude comment or even a punch in the mouth.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Courtney says weakly. Her eyes seem to be closing down.

"You're not gonna insult me?" Carlos asks wondering how badly hurt she really is.

She closes her eyes and shakes her head slightly. "Idiot," she mumbles softly then her whole body goes limp and she falls back.

The paramedic catches her before she hits her head on the gurney.

"I need help here!" He screams. His paramedic partner, a big sloppy man, comes running and pulls the gurney out.

Once his partner's done that, the paramedic picks Courtney up and places her on the gurney.

A cop comes and pulls Carlos out. "Come on, give them some space."

"The helicopters are coming. Only one can land at a time so you're going to have to prioritize who goes first." A tall cop named officer Gonzales announces waving a walkie-talkie.

The cop holding Carlos's arm lets go and asks the paramedics. "Who needs to go first?"

"The boy!" One of the paramedics screams referring to Chris who by now danced between the line of consciousness and unconsciousness.

"Very well, move it then." He says motioning for the paramedics to follow him to the helicopter that is already landing on the back side of the cabin.

"Bring the girl too," Officer Gonzales says still waving his walkie-talkie. "the next one will land right after the first leaves."

Two sets of paramedics run with the gurneys to the helicopter landing site. Carlos moves to Adrian asking if he's okay. Adrian nods and Carlos pats his friend's back secretly glad that he is not one of the badly hurt ones.

Mr. Whitaker hugs Mrs. Whitaker tightly as she cries. Brooke hugs Sebastian and he kisses her. Surprised but pleased, Brooke kisses him back.

Sebastian pulls away and whispers in her ear. "I love you Brooke Davis."

She smiles, "I love you too."

MONDAY 12:05AM -HELICOPTER PATH

Chris's whole body aches, his mind is barely a whiff of abscent thoughts. His eyelids feel heavy, but he pushes them open and rolls his head to one side.

Air is whipping strongly and a paramedic stands holding each side of the gurney where he lays. He rolls his head to the other side and sees Courtney.

Her skin is pale and bruised. Her dark hair is laid out on the gurney's white sheet and hangs delicately down. A plastic mask has been placed over her mouth and nose. One of her paramedics pumps air into the mask by squeezing a plastic bag.

The other paramedic rips her clothes and urgently sticks papery squares on her chest.

"Off!" He screams. Courtney's body jumps up with the electric shock and then falls back down limply. Her arms hanging on the sides lifelessly.

Chris's mind begins to slip away again. I guess magic would have come in handy this time...Maybe if...But I hurt dad...Daddy...

His eyelids feel lead heavy, they close and everything blacks out again.


	12. Chapter 12

MONDAY 10: 24 AM -SACRED HEART HOSPITAL

Piper Halliwell sits chewing her fingernails nervously. Why did I ever let Chris go on that field trip? With that manic loose out there? What am I going to do if I lose him?

She eyes her gold watch for the millionth time. Why don't these doctors hurry and tell me what's going on?

Magic could have avoided a lot of all of this and could have had Chris up and running in no time. But it was not the way he chose to go. After Chris accidentally killed Leo when he was 13...

Of course, they could still see Leo as much as they wanted to but not mortally. Leo told Chris it was okay. But Chris never did forgive himself and swore magic of. Till today, Piper hadnt realized just how much Chris really did mean it.

A middle aged doctor walks into the waiting room. He is wearing green scrubs, a paper mask and a plastic cap.

His scrubs aren't bloody, that's a good sign. Piper thinks.

She gets up as the doctor walks to her.

"Are you here for Chris Halliwell?" The doctor asks in a rhythmic pleasant voice slipping the paper mask down.

Piper nods scrambling for words. "Is he? Is he?"

The doctor smiles warmly. "He should be fine. He's up in the ICU resting."

"Can I go see him?"

"He's asleep but I do think he'll be fine. He was very lucky."

Piper hoops her big red purse on her shoulder. "Can you tell me where the ICU is?"

The doctor nods. "I'll have a nurse take you to there. Do you happen to know who Courtney is?"

Piper shakes her head. "No, why?"

The doctor shrugs. "Probably nothing. It's just that he kept calling her name when he woke up in the ER."

SAME DAY -UP IN THE ICU

Chris lays in a bed literally 'wired'. Plastic tubes run up and down his arms and mysteriously creepy machines make beeping and hissing noises.

His eyes are closed, his face bruised and a white bandage wraps the upper half of his head. Though they're hardly visible, Chris's eyes are closed.

"Oh my poor boy!" Piper cries dramatically.

"It probably looks worse than it really is." The nurse explains.

Piper walks to Chris's side and gingerly takes his hand. It's cold and limp as is the rest of his body.

Mud is still caked in his arms and hands. Piper's never felt this scared and wobbly. And more than ever she wishes Leo was still here if only to have someone hold her and tell her it's going to be okay.

"I'll leave you two alone." The nurse says walking out.

Piper hears her voice but somehow her brain just doesn't click and she completely ignores the woman.

She cries on Chris's hand feeling more alone than ever. Then, she settles on the red chair putting her purse next to her feet and deciding to stay here for the night.

Piper goes over the doctor's word in her mind. Why had he said Chris 'should' be fine? Why didn't he say 'will' be fine?

TUESDAY 6:02PM -SACRED HEART HOSPITAL

Piper just got out of work and she's right back at the hospital. She hasn't been home since she left in a hurry when she received a call from the police saying that her son had been injured by a murdered in Hightrails.

The elevator takes her up to the fifth floor and she steps out nervously fingering her belt hoping and praying Chris's awake and okay.

She arrives at Chris's ICU room expecting to see him as she had the night before. She felt like this was all a horrible nightmare and she'd soon wake up screaming in her bed. But she'd been waiting to wake up since yesterday and it hasn't happened.

She pushes the door open to find an empty room.

"Chris?" She calls as if somehow Chris was hiding somewhere.

Piper runs down the hall and back to the elevator ready to choke an explanation out of the first doctor she saw.

"Where's my son?" She yells at the lobby's desk.

"What's his name?" The nurse asks calmly. She has obviously been screamed at by many other moms.

"Chris Halliwell."

The nurse types in on her computer. "He's been moved down from the ICU to the recuperation rooms in the teen wing."

"So he's better?"

"It seems so,"

"Thanks," Piper says walking away a bit embarrassed and feeling as if the whole lobby is staring at her.

She walks to the teen wing's desk to check in as a visitor.

The nurse at that station eyes her suspiciously. "You a reporter?" He asks.

Piper shakes her head. "No, I'm his mother." She says showing him some ID.

"Sorry, he's sort of the hospital's celebrity. Many reporters have shown up to see him, but don't worry we've kept them out."

"Thanks,"

The nurse nods, "Sure," He eyes a list as he jots down Piper's name. "His sister was in to see him today."

"His sister?" Piper asks confused. "He doesn't have a sister."

The nurse checks the list with a puzzled look. "No? Really? That's funny. It's says right here she did. Must be some kind of mistake." He smiles shortly. "Anyways, your son is in room 165."

Piper nods taking her ID from him. Though it is suspicious that Chris had a nonexistent sister visit him, she's wants to see him more than she wants to play detective so she thanks the nurse and walks to Chriss room.

MONDAY -SACRED HEART HOSPITAL

"Chris?, honey?" Piper stands over his bed smoothing his hair backward.

Chris opens his eyes. His nose filled with his mother's expensive perfume.

"Mom," He says.

"Are you alright?" She asks. "I was so scared, I can't believe that man was in the mountain of all places."

She hugs him again. "I'm so sorry about your friend I'm just so glad it wasn't you."

"My friend? What do you mean?" Chris asks still groggy.

She pulls back and looks into Chris's eyes. "Oh Chris I'm so sorry. Your friend died in the mountain. The paramedics couldn't do anything about it."

"What?" Chris asks alarmed. That last flash from the mountain, had Courtney been dying when he saw her? Was that it?

"Mrs. Halliwell, I need you to sign some papers." An old nurse says from the door.

Piper nods. "Very well," She turns back to Chris. "I'm sorry baby. Try to sleep some more okay. You've had a tough week." She walks away with the nurse.

Chris sits in his bed motionlessly.

"Courtney died." He whispers incredulously.

All his efforts to save her, the poem, the trip, the cautions, it had all meant nothing. Things had only turned out worse. Courtney didn't kill herself, she was murdered.

Chris bites his lip and tries to push tears back. He looks up and tries to blink them away. They roll down his cheeks anyways.

It wasn't that he felt responsible though he did. But there was something else, he really liked her. Sure she insulted him almost most of the time, but still she didn't deserve what happened.

Between tears and sobs Chris's drifts away back to sleep.

TUESDAY 3:45PM -SACRED HEART HOSPITAL

"You here for Chris Halliwell right?"

"Yes," Piper answers to the nurse at the check-in desk.

The nurse's grave face turns puzzled. "His sister went in to see him earlier."

"What sister?"

"The list just says it was his sister."

"Well did you see her? What does she look like?"

The nurse shakes his head. "I'm sorry but she came in before my shift started. In fact, according to this list, his 'sister' goes in to see him every day at exactly 10:00AM. Would you like me to ban her?"

Piper shakes her head. "No, it's probably just one of his friends."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, why not."

WEDNESDAY MORNING 10:00 AM -JERRY'S HOSPITAL ROOM

"Hello?" ,"Chris?", "Hey, rich boy."

"WAKE UP!!"

Chris opens his eyes to find Courtney banging a spoon on the wall.

"Courtney?" He says not believing his eyes.

"Hi, I ate your roll, hope you don't mind."

Chris notices a tray of food on his bedside table. Of course he doesn't mind she ate his roll, she is alive.

"I thought you died."

She shrugs, "Well, I can't say you don't have bizarre thoughts." She smiles. "Sorry about your friend."

"My friend? Who are you talking about?"

"Tom, they found him dead in the cabin. His head was cracked open." She shakes her head angrily. "And you know what? His parents didn't even come, they sent the maid. And she was crying." Courtney looks down like she actually feels sorry for Tom. "When she saw Tom's body she put a banana in his hand."

"A banana?"

"Yeah, I don't know why. I just thought it was sweet."

Chris takes her hand. She gets up from the bed and walks to the foot of the bed.

"Shit! Look at me. This whole mountain thing turned me into a softy."

Chris smiles. It is sad Tom died, but he's so glad it wasn't Courtney. "Don't worry, you'll always be a mean bitch to me."

Courtney's fingers play with his sheets. "Thanks," She says looking up.

A nurse pushes the door open. "Oh God, there she is." She walks in the room smiling at Chris.

"Miss Wright you can't be walking around like that, you're going to rip your stitches. How can you even get up?"

"Pain killers," Courtney answers shrugging. "Lots of them."

The nurse rolls her eyes. "Miss Wright, your aunt and her boyfriend are here to see you."

"Can you tell them to go to hell?" Courtney asks.

The nurse's eyebrows soar high in her forehead. "I'm afraid that's not possible. And would you please stay in your room, the other patients need their rest unlike you."

Courtney walks out. "Fine, but I don't get how they can sleep all day and still need _more _sleep. They're not babies you know…"

Her voice fades away as she walks down the hall complaining to the nurse.

Chris smiles. When this is all behind, he's going to ask her to go out with him. She'll probably laugh at him the first hundred times, but she might come around after that. It was her courage, after all, not to mention insanity had saved them all in the forest (well, everyone except Tom.)

WEDNESDAY MORNING 10:15AM -DR. FLINT'S OFFICE

Adrian sits in Dr. Flint's waiting room. In front of him sits a girl. She wears a mini skirt, pink boots, and big red bow on her hair. From an 80's point of view, she looks good.

Adrian considers talking to her, but decides against it. Not only because his father is sitting next to him (he refuses to leave his side ever since the mountain incident.) but because the girl would just run away scared as soon as she found the truth about him. So why bother?

Dr. Flint's door opens and she motions for Adrian and the girl to come in.

"Both of us?" Adrian asks.

Dr. Flint nods.

They shrug and go in leaving Adrian's dad waiting in the waiting room by himself.

Dr. Flint signals them to sit. They do.

"I bet you're both wondering why were having this little party here today." She says waving her hands up.

Adrian and the girl nod.

Dr. Flint rests her elbows on the table and says. "Would you two look at each other. Don't you think the other one is beautiful?"

"Uh… sure." the girl says in a deep voice. Adrian just nods.

"What if I told you the other one isn't who he or she appears to be?"

"Huh?"

"Adrian is a girl," She says to the girl. "Charlie is a boy," She says to Adrian.

"I know I'm supposed to be confidential. It's just the stories I heard from both of you are the same one. I thought you'd maybe want to talk to each other about it. Say how you feel." She looks at them hoping she's done the right thing. "And if you don't like the idea, either of you can walk out the room right now." She says slamming a palm against her messy desk.

Neither Adrian nor Charlie get up.

"Is that a 'yes we'll try'?"

Adrian answers first, "I - I'd love to," He says slowly.

Charlie turns to Adrian. "Me too,"

Dr. Flint giggles excited, a wave of relief washing over her. "Oh thank God, I was so afraid you two would, you know."

"I'll provide with the topic," Dr. Flint says waving her fears away. At that moment the phone rings. "Oh, gotta get that." She says making a hand gesture.

She picks up the phone, "Hello?"

Dr. Flint listens for a second. She gasps, "Oh God, the poor thing."

She shakes her head. "No, no I'll be right there. Tell her I'm on my way."

Adrian and Charlie stare at Dr. Flint wondering what that was all about.

Dr. Flint frowns getting up and grabbing her coat. "I am so sorry, but I have to leave. One of my patients needs me urgently. You can stay in my office and talk or go home. I'll call you both and set up an appointment tonight." She yells as she leaves the room.

Adrian and Charlie are left alone in the room. Adrian turns to Charlie, "Hi," He says and smiles awkwardly. She looks at him shyly and offers him her hand. "Hi,"

Adrian shakes Charlie's hand and she smiles back.

WEDNESDAY 10:22AM -SACRED HEART HOSPITAL

"Get them out of here!" Nurse Caldwell screams.

The security officers place handcuffs on Anne Wright and Zed Hunt. They take them away by force pushing their way through clouds of curious patients and staff.

"I'll make you pay for this!" Zed screams to Courtney.

"I wanna see you try!" She yells back as he's been taken away.

"Call child services." One of the cops tells nurse Caldwell who was the one to also place a call to Courtney Wright's psychologist, Dr. Flint.

Chris sees what's happening from the door of his room. First he'd heard some slamming and screaming. He went to his door to find nurses rushing to Courtney's room, they dragged a man and a woman out, both kicking and screaming and cursing.

Courtney was angry too. She yelled at both of them saying that they had killed her brother and that they should go to hell.

Nurses, doctors, patients and security officers and even reporters crowded the hall in no time.

The police where now taking the crazy couple away and Courtney stood in her doorway breathing hard.

Nurses and doctors shoo patients and reporters away till the hall is emptied.

A red blood stain in the side of Courtney's hospital gown grows in size in front of Chris's eyes.

"Oh honey, you ripped your stitches." The nurse says.

Courtney's got a faraway look in her eyes. She doesn't answer. Then her face screws up and she breaks down crying covering her face with both hands.

Nurse Caldwell takes Courtney in her arms and leads her back inside the room slamming the door after her.

Minutes later a doctor wearing a white lab coat carrying a suture kit goes in the room accompanied by a pretty, brunette woman with a badge hanging from her neck. "Dr. Linda S. Flint." Chris reads wishing he could go in the room, but still frightened by the sight of Courtney Wright -the toughest girl, queen bitch nominee for three years in a row- crying like she had.

WEDNESDAY 10:35AM -COURTNEY WRIGHT'S ROOM

Dr. Huala works on Courtney's belly trying to concentrate on doing a good job instead of listening Dr. Flint's sweet voice.

Courtney wipes her eyes with wads of tissues and Dr. Flint smothers her hair back.

"I'm gonna be a damn foster kid." Courtney sobs.

Dr. Flint frowns. "Courtney don't say it like that. It's not a bad thing, it's a good thing. You'll get better parents, people who deserve you. Why are you so scared of that?"

"I don't know, I mean, as bad as Aunt Anne is she's the last link I have to my family."

"Courtney, it's not okay to cry yourself to sleep every night. Child services has already been called and honestly, I'm not going to intervene this time and I'm not going to stop them."

"But I…"

"What? Do you expect me to let you keep on like this when I know all the crap you've been putting up with? I can almost say that I was waiting for this to happen, Courtney. Can't you see those people are hurting you?"

Courtney looks away ashamed by her own stupidity. Tears rolling down her cheeks. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

"Courtney please, don't push me away." Dr. Flint takes Courtney hand.

Courtney yanks her hand away. "Leave me alone!" She screams. "Both of you, get out of here!" She yells talking to the doctor as well. Her eyes go mad red pouring with tears and her voice goes up to a deep furious scowl.

Dr. Huala looks up. "I have to finish here, you'll bleed out otherwise."

"Get out!" Courtney screams pushing him away. Hot tears roll down her eyes. She takes a tray with her right hand, pain shots up through her side. She winces, but too mad to care she shoves the tray of food to the wall. The Styrofoam tray hit's the wall, mashed potatoes stick it to the wall for a second and then it fall splashing thick gravy all over the floor.

Dr. Huala runs out the room. "We need help here!" He scream.

By when he comes back a small float of orderlies is following him.

Dr. Flint tries to calm Courtney down. She tries to take Courtney's hand, but Courtney jumps up in her bed and pushes Dr. Flint to the floor while screaming madly and commanding her to leave.

The orderlies run to restrain Courtney. They're a small group of young men in white scrubs. One of them fills a syringe with a clear fluid from a tiny glass bottle and hands it to Dr. Huala. The others move to Courtney swiftly with straight, almost bored, faces already reaching out to Courtney's dangling arms and legs as if they'd handled an crisis like this one too man times. Soon they've got Courtney down. Their big warm hands hold her ankles and wrist as they open their way for Dr. Huala to come through with the magic liquid. She keeps screaming and convulsing as if trying to copy the girl from one of the Exorcist's movies.

"No! let me go!" She screams hatefully.

Dr. Huala takes the syringe from one of the orderlies and stabs Courtney's leg with it.

Courtney screams. Her voice feels raspy and her body aches. Her head feels wobbly and her eyelids heavy. The kicking stops as her energy slips away.

Her body twitches a little and she takes quick ragged breaths. The whole world is drained of its color as it spins round and round and a sick empty feeling fills her stomach.

One of the orderlies holding Courtney's left wrist makes soothing noises and places his huge hand over her forehead. "Calm down." He says in a gooey voice.

Courtney opens and closes her mouth trying to ask what's wrong with her body but nothing other than soft squeals comes out. She looks like a fish out of water, slowly wasting away.

She sees Dr. Flint stand horrified in a corner of the room and then her eyes close and then everything goes off.

WEDNESDAY 2:00PM -CHRIS'S ROOM

"When are you coming out?" Brooke asks.

Chris shrugs. "By the end of the week maybe."

"Tom's funeral is on Friday." Sebastian says sadly. "It's all over school, we're like celebrities."

Brooke leans closer to Chris, "Especially you and Courtney, you two are like heroes. How's she doing by the way? I tried to see her, but they wouldn't let me."

Chris shakes his head. "She's not doing so great."

"Is she still unconscious. We saw her back at the mountain. She died for a couple of seconds you know. We thought both of you would die." Sebastian says.

"Oh no, she's awake and crazy." Chris says. "She woke me up yesterday banging a spoon to the wall."

"She keeps doing that." Brooke says. "So what's wrong with her then?"

Chris shakes his head. "I'm not sure. It's her family you know. She had a really bad fight with her Aunt today, they even called the police and all." He looks in the direction of Courtney's room. "And then I heard her screaming."

They all look down quietly and then Chris adds. "And you know that guy in the mountain?"

Brooke and Sebastian nod.

"He wanted to kill her more than us. Like they knew each other from somewhere."

Brooke digs in her giant purse. "Yeah and look at this." She says showing him the front page of yesterday's newspaper.

"Fieldtrip Turned to Nightmare: two hurt, one dead." The headline reads and then underneath there are pictures of the whole fieldtrip group getting off the bus. The pictures are marked with a bold black marker. Arrows are drawn pointing at objects like purses, boots and Courtney's yellow cookie jar.

"What was in that cookie jar anyway?" He asks Brooke.

Brooke shrugs. "I don't know, she said if I touched it she'd kill me so I never did."

Sebastian puts his arms around Brooke and she giggles.

"You two together?" Chris asks.

They nod.

"About time."

"What do you mean?"Brooke asks.

"Nothing."

"We gotta go, we've got loads of homework. Do you need us to bring you anything?"

"No, I've got a bunch of nurses here for me 24/7."

Sebastian grins, "Hey maybe I can bring my new laptop tomorrow and you can play a few games in it."

"You got yourself a new laptop?"Chris asks.

"No, my dad got it. He felt bad about all that's happened so he said 'heck, I don't know how to make you feel better so here.' and he gave me the laptop. It's great I'll bring it over tomorrow."

"See ya," Sebastian says waving. His arms possessively tight around Brooke.

Chris waves his friends goodbye wondering if they decided to get together before or after they found about Tom's death. Chris's mind goes back to that moment in the forest. They had all stayed willing to help Courtney. Funny how the guy who worried most about his life is the one who ended up losing it.


	13. Chapter 13

WEDNESDAY 7:00PM

Chris cracks his knuckles nervously, he knocks on Courtney's door. No answer comes.

He knocks again and since there's no answer either he just pushes the door open. It creaks as Chris steps in. "Courtney?" He calls.

She is sprawled over the bed. Her legs and arms tied to the its frame with thick leather bands. She looks extremely thin and scrawny.

Her eyes are open and she stares out the window to the starry sky. Her face glows blue with its light and she looks like a wax doll with long strands of sleek black hair flung over her face and back.

"Courtney," Chris says again.

"I'm cold," Courtney says.

Chris sees that she's got nothing but her hospital gown on. He takes a crisp white sheet from a closet and extends it over her.

"Are you okay?" He asks shyly.

"Take them off," Courtney says in an empty voice expressing no feelings whatsoever.

"Shouldn't I get the doctor's permission to do that?"

"Do you think I'm crazy, Chris?"

"No,"

"Then take them off."

Chris hesitates a little wondering if he should. He realizes he can't just leave her like and that right now he desperately needs to please her and get on her good graces.

The bands are like thick beige leather belts. He works on the ones in her ankles and then frees her hands. The skin around the belts is red and irritated, Courtney's obviously been trying to get loose.

She rubs her wrists and sits up hugging her legs.

"Courtney what happened here today?"

Courtney shrugs hiding her face behind her knees. "That was just a display of my merry little life." She says not looking at him.

"Why does your aunt talk to you like that? Don't your parents stop her?"

"They're dead Chris, my family's dead."

Shit, no wonder she's in a bad mood all the time, Chris thinks. "I'm sorry,"

"Chris go, I don't want you to see me like this."

"I'll close my eyes." He blinks his eyes shut.

"Aren't your parents going to miss you." She asks. Her voice is soft and weak. Chris can tell she's tired and for once she's not being rude, probably tired of that too.

"They're at work. My mom, works owns a club and my dad... works as a real estate agent somewhere in Nevada."

"Cute," She says unimpressed.

Chris sits on her bed with his eyes closes, his hands toying with one of his slippers.

"You can open your eyes." Courtney says.

Chris does. "Good, I like looking at your face." He answers.

He's can't look at her face though, her hair falls over it like a thick curtain as she leans her chin on her knees.

Chris searches in his mind for something to break the ice. "Ever been in a hospital before?" He asks.

She nods. She'd been in this same hospital lots of times before. When her dad died, when Jimmy died, when she had her abortion, and once when Zed beat her up really bad.

"Really, what happened?"

Courtney laughs bitterly, "Come on, like you really wanna know."

"I do," Chris says.

"No you don't."

"Well, I've been here twice. When I was born and when a friend shot me with a BB gun."

Courtney smiles and slides her body down the bed. She grimaces as her sore body moves slowly. Holding the white sheet Chris gave her, she extends her legs down and lays on her back. Her feet touch Chris's butt and she gives him a light kick. "Come on, get back to your room. I need to sleep a little."

"You sure you want me to leave?"

"Oh yeah," Courtney answers listening to her body beg her for some rest.

"But you've had a tough day and I untied you and…"

She looks into his eyes and smiles warmly tucking her hair behind her ears. "I've been through worse Chris. I'm not gonna kill myself or anything like that."

"Promise you won't."

"I promise," She says closing her eyes.

Chris stares at her face for a second. He thinks about kissing her forehead, but she might still have the strength to beat him up so he resists.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He says walking out the room closing the door behind him.

THURSDAY 10:30AM

Chris carefully checks his image in the mirror. A white bandage covers his head so he can't do anything about his hair though he's probably bald under the bandages anyways.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face. Chris walks out the room feeling fresh and wishing for his cologne or at least some aftershave and decent clothes or maybe not even decent clothes but something other than a hospital gown and a robe. Though he's just going to go across the hall, Chris feels like he's about to step into some kind of date. With a very special girl.

He walks out his room, a silly grin whipped on his face. He sees Courtney's door and smiles with anticipation.

Checking both sides for nurses, he easily slips in her room. Since it's already thirty past ten he's expecting her to be awake, but she's still fast asleep in her bed.

Chris shrugs and sits on her bedside chair. Then he notices an IV line going in to her arm and a sort of white plastic rod with a red light pinned to her index finger.

"Courtney?" He calls. "Courtney are you awake?"

She doesn't stir.

The door to Courtney's room opens and Dr. Flint accompanied by a good-looking couple walks in.

"Hello, how are you?" Dr. Flint asks with a smile. "Are you Miss Wright's friend?"

Chris nods feeling caught doing something dirty. "Chris Halliwell," He introduces himself.

Dr. Flint nods. "Oh yes, Courtney paid you several visits while you were unconscious. She must really like you."

Chris blushes flattered and warmed by Courtney's concern.

Dr. Flint pats Chris's shoulder. "I just brought the Silases to see her but she won't be waking up for a while."

"Why? What happened?"

Dr. Flint hesitates for a moment and then says. "Well, she was feeling really bad yesterday. One of the nurses found her crying in the bathroom and they had to sedate her."

Chris sits in the chair flabbergasted wondering if he should have left her tied up last night, or if he should have stayed with her.

"You know, to be a shrink you're quite a blabber mouth." Courtney's groggy voice says.

Chris turns around. Courtney's eyes are still closed though she's smiling slightly.

"You're awake? How are you feeling?" Dr. Flint asks.

"I can't move," She answers. Her speech is slurred as if she was drunk. Her eyes opening a crack.

"It's the sedative, they gave you a strong one this time."

"Can you come back later? I feel like I'm gonna die."

Dr. Flint pats Courtney's hand. "Alright, rest well."

Mrs. Silas walks over to Courtney's side and kisses her forehead. "When you wake up, John and I have a surprise for you."

Courtney nods weakly, her eyes close again and she drifts into a tar-thick sleep.

Dr. Flint leads Chris and the Silases out closing the door silently.

She sees Chris's worried face. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be alright. She's a tough cookie."

"Even tough cookies crumble." Chris says.

Dr. Flint shakes her head. "Not this one." She smiles to the Silases. "Not when she's got them."

"When can we see her?" Mr. Silas asks.

Dr. Flint waves her hand. "Give her a couple of hours. Go home if you want and I'll have someone call you. But I have to go right now. I have an important appointment. Call me if you need me. Alright?"

Mr. Silas nods. "Yeah, but we'll just wait here. We want to talk to her as soon as possible."

Dr. Flint nods. "I understand. Call me and tell me how it goes." She waves and half runs out the hall. Her heels clicking, just like Courtney's Chris thinks.

He goes back to his room disappointed wishing he could just wait inside Courtney's room. Being with her felt good even if she was unconscious.

THURSDAY 11:15 -DR. FLINT'S OFFICE

"Your secretary let us in." Adrian explains when Dr. Flint comes in to find him and Charlie sitting there.

"It's okay, sorry I'm late." Dr. Flint apologizes checking her watch and realizing she's fifteen minutes late to the meeting she scheduled yesterday night over the phone.

"It's cool," Adrian says looking at Charlie's face. "We've been talking."

Dr. Flint nods slyly. "Oh reee-eally?"

"He's fine you know, knows all his shit." Charlie says.

Dr. Flint laughs. "Do I smell love in the air?"

They both blush shrugging.

"So how's it been? What important things have you learnt from each other?"

"Charlie told me about this really cool website, you know, for people like us." He takes out a printed-out flyer. "Look they have a yearly meeting in New York. I was thinking of asking my dad to take us."

"Would he do it?" Dr. Flint asks.

Adrian nods. "Oh yeah, he's really cool."

"We could all go up there and have some fun." Charlie says. "I mean, if my mom can get off work."

"What about your dad?" Adrian asks.

Dr. Flint intervenes. "You know the deal with your mom?" She asks Adrian. He nods.

"Same story with her dad."

Adrian winces back. "In that case, it wouldn't be such a hot idea for us to go together."

"Why not?" Dr. Flint asks.

"Her mom could fall for my dad and then we'd be brother and sister. And nothing could happen between us."

Dr. Flint laughs. "Not if both couples do it at the same time." Dr. Flint winks. She giggles. "So was it a good idea for me to get you two together?"

Adrian and Charlie hold hands. "You bet Cupid," Charlie answers for both.

Dr. Flint smiles widely staring at the two kids as she sees them feel happy and bubbly for the first time since she became their psychologist. And with that she know her job is done here. She feels just exactly the same way she feels when she finishes reading a very good book only a million times better. Happy, fulfilled, sad that it's over and glad that she decided to give it a chance.

Dr. Flint sights, this time she schedules an appointment to see both of them together in exactly one month. The appointment is a follow-up visit though she knows it'll all go well because they now finally get what she's been trying to tell them all along, they are not alone in the world, not by far.

THURSDAY NOON -SACRED HEART HOSPITAL

Chris goes out his room aiming for the cafeteria. The nurses did get lunch to his room, but he's go an inextinguishable crave for chocolate chip ice cream.

He has to be careful because the nurses nag him about staying in his room and getting some rest. He tried it for two minutes, got bored and went out for his ice cream.

When he steps in the hall, he sees that the Silases are still sitting in the hall's plastic blue chairs waiting.

"Hi," He says. "She still out?"

"As a light." Mr. Silas answers with a friendly smile. "Are you a good friends of hers?"

Chris shrugs. "I guess I could say so."

"You're Chris Halliwell aren't you? I saw you in the newspaper."

"Yeah, I am." He offers his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Mr. Silas gives him a firm shake.

"Are you Courtney's… who are you?"

Mr. Silas looks caught off guard. He shrugs taking his wife's hand. "We can't tell you till we tell her."

Chris's eyebrows hover upwards. "I guess I'll ask after you talk to her."

Mrs. Silas squeezes her husband's hand. "If everything goes well, there's going to be a big party and you're invited."

"Thanks," Chris answers leaning on the wall opposite to them. He has completely forgotten about the chocolate chip ice cream now. "Did you know her parents are dead?" He asks wondering how much they know.

Mrs. Silas nods. "Her dad's dead, her mother isn't. And her little brother too, she keeps his ashes in a yellow jar." She looks down frowning. "After her dad died her mother got really sick, mentally, so Courtney and her brother were sent to her abusive aunt."

"How do you know this?"

"My mother lives close to her and they talk a lot."

"What about that doctor?"

"Dr. Flint?"

"Yeah,"

"Oh she's Courtney's psychiatrist. She started seeing her after her brother's death."

Chris slides down the wall. "Shit, she never told me that before."

Mrs. Silas feels a bit guilty, but doesn't show it. "You might as well know it. It's the truth."

"I not gonna give her hell for it or anything, but damn thats a lot of crap to swallow." He says reassuring Mrs. Silas.

An awkward silence falls over them. Chris decides some ice cream would let it all go down more easily. " So I was on my way to the cafeteria to get some ice cream? My treat."

Mr. Silas smiles. "I'd love some,"

Mrs. Silas nods, "Me too, vanilla please."

Chris gets to his feet toying with his mother's credit card. She'd be glad to know he was feeling good enough to stuff himself with his favorite ice cream plus some extras.

He strides down the hall determined to make it up to Courtney as soon as they both get back to school.

The thought of school makes something in him go off. School seems so far away now, he remembers how he used to push Courtney away from his life avoiding her as much as possible. Now all he wants is to be with her and all thanks to that poem in the internet. Where'd that go by the way? He wonders as he pushes the button in the elevator.

The doors open and he steps in. A kid in a wheel chair smiles to him and he smiles back. The door close as he punches the button for the second floor, where the cafeteria is.

THURSDAY 1:01 PM

Chris licks the last drop of ice cream from his black plastic spoon. He puts the 8oz carton of ice cream down and pats his belly. "That's some good ice cream right there."

"You got that ice cream an hour ago, how can you make it last so much?" Mr. Silas asks in wonderment.

Chris laughs shortly. "The secret is to melt the ice cream in your tongue till only a chocolate chip is left. The you roll the chip around in your mouth till it's gone next you wait a second for the ice cream to take its full effect on you, only then are you allowed to shove half a teaspoon into your mouth. The ice cream facing your tongue and the back of the spoon against your upper mouth."

Mr. and Mrs. Silas nod as if this was a normal conversation.

The door to Courtney's room opens and they all turn around to see Courtney standing in the doorway. Her hair neatly falls on her shoulders and her eyes still look tired.

"Any of you got any food? I'm starving." She says.

Mrs. Silas runs to Courtney and gives her a loving bear hug.

"Hey Joanne," Courtney's muffled voice says. "glad to see you too."

Mr. Silas waits for his turn on Courtney right behind his wife. Then three of them hug leaving Chris out.

Chris gets up from the cold floor leaving his ice cream cup behind. He shrugs and joins in the hugs frenzy.

After a few 'hug' minutes Courtney's voice emerges from within the mass of bodies. "Seriously guys, all they do to feed me here is stick a needle in my arm. I'm dying."

The hug falls apart with Courtney's words.

"Chris, why don't you go get Courtney a burger while we talk to her." Mr. Silas says handing Chris a twenty.

"A twenty buck burger?"

"Burger, fries, soda, ice cream, you know the basics." Mr. Silas answers.

"Be right back, see ya Courtney." Chris says waving away. He trots down the hall, but stops as soon as a nurse gives him a dirty look. He decides to be a nice boy or else she'll make him go back to bed where he should be.

The elevator ride is a bit unpleasant since there is a kid barfing in a basin and crying. Chris feels sorry for him and tries to comfort him, but the kid gets freaked out and moves to a corner of the elevator.

Chris shrugs and steps out on the second floor. He heads to the cafeteria thinking of getting himself a burger.

By when he's at the counter ready to pay he has a tray with two burgers, a bowl of fruit, two chocolate milkshakes, a cup of chocolate chip ice cream, fries and a Gatorade.

The woman at the counter raises her eyebrows. "Hungry boy?"

Chris shakes his head. "Hungry _teenage _boy." He corrects.

She nods. "Ah, I understand."

The tab comes for twenty five dollars and some cents. Chris hands over the twenty and pays the rest with mommy's credit card.

He walks gingerly with the overloaded tray. The smells of hot food filling his nose and killing his stomach. Not able to resist, he rest the tray on his knee and eats one of the fries. Its crunchy salty taste leaving him hungry for more.

THURSDAY 1:05

Courtney sits on the bed, her back rested on the pillow and legs extended in front of her a crisp white sheet covering them.

Mrs. Silas sits on the foot of the bed and pats Courtney's knee. "Feeling better?"

"I guess, still pretty tired though."

"We have something important to tell you. To ask you really." Mr. Silas sits on the other side from Mrs. Silas and takes her hand.

"Sure," Courtney answers. She can hear Joanne and John just fine but it's as if they were miles away. She feels light headed and wobbly so she chooses to lay down instead of sitting not trusting her body to hold her up.

"We would honestly wait for you to catch some sleep, but we're too excited." Joanne says.

Courtney nods. "It's okay, sleeping during the day is messing with my circadian rhythim anyways."

Joanne takes Courtney's hand and smiles nervously.

"Courtney?"

"Yes,"

"Would you…," She giggles looks at John and then back to Courtney. Her eyes glitter with excitement. "would you be our daughter?"

"Your what?" Courtney asks wondering if she heard wrong.

"Our daughter," John repeats. "we want to addopt you."

Courtney's heart beats quickly. She feels fully awake now, excitement rushes through her body. "Do you… do you mean it?"

Joanne nods fervently. "We mean it, we want to be your parents we want you all to ourselves, no sharing with your aunt anymore."

Courtney laughs happily. "Really?" She says imagining how wonderful it would be.

"With all our hearts."

"So what do you say?" John asks.

Courtney smiles. "Yes," She says laughing. "I say yes, yes!"

"Oh thank God!" Joanne says throwing her hands around Courtney. "It'll be wonderful, I promise." She laughs.

Happy tears roll down her cheeks and smudge on Joanne's shoulders. Joanne cries happily too. John hugs both of them laughing and rushing out plans.

"We're going to look at houses so you can finish this school year, and then we'll move to Raleigh and, and go to the beach as soon as you get out of here and…"

Courtney feels the huge load of misery she'd been feeling lift off her shoulders, mind and body.

"Food's here!"Chris screams opening the door. He finds the Silases and Courtney hugging, laughing and crying in Courtney's bed.

He almost falls on his face. "I'm I interrupting something?"

"No, come over here. We're celebration." Mr. Silas says.

"Alright! I love celebrations." He says jumping on the bed after placing the food on top of Courtney's bedside table.

"What are we celebrating?" He asks Courtney.

She wipes tears from her face. "I have parents now." She says laughing.

Chris looks at the Silases. "You two are…"

"That's right," Mrs. Silas says not taking her loving eyes off Courtney. "we're adopting her."

Chris smiles happy for Courtney. To this day, he doesn't know how it happened, but the he ended up crying happily hugging Courtney Silas as tightly as if his life depended on her. And life was good again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed and all the credit should go to the creators. You know who they are!!


End file.
